Persona: Memories
by Firing Silence
Summary: P3xP4 eventually. The one thing that is difficult about remembering who you are is how to remember who you are. To remember, is his goal.
1. Chapter 1

"**Shadow/Higher being"**

**Chapter 1**

Souji Seta, a young gray-haired man, found himself in a car that was driving towards his new home for the year. Staring outside he saw many things he had never seen before having never been to the countryside. The scenery was pretty relaxing to look at unlike the city where it was a bustle of buildings and smog. He had had the weirdest day so far. It had all started with his transfer from the city to the countryside due to his parents did. He really resented his parents for leaving so much, but as the years passed he could care less about what his parents do. He wasn't sure if his parents noticed, but they had grown distant and Souji would even go as far as to say they were strangers. His life was nothing but a blur of memories from that point forward. He never stayed in the same scenery long enough to really have it burned into his memory, but then again he never stayed in the same place for an entire year either. This time however, he was passed off to his uncle, who he has seen in several family pictures. He had a dream of sorts involving some long nose guy with bulging eyes telling him about the Velvet Room, which was in the inside of a limousine, and talking about destiny, fate and cards. Souji had never been one to believer in fate and destiny, but he had this nagging feeling that there was more to what Igor said.

The car pulled into a gas station and his uncle, Ryotaro Dojima, got out and chatted with the attendant. His cousin, Nanako, a little girl wearing a pink dress, got out of the car to go to the restroom. As Souji got out of the car, he saw his uncle walk away towards the Shopping District, apparently to smoke.

The attendant greeted Souji and asked, "Are you still in high school?" Souji only nodded and the attendant continued to talk about the town or something. While the attendant did that, Souji could only stare at the attendant.

'I… I can't…' Souji thought trying to deduce the situation at hand. 'I can't seem to discern the gender of this individual… gasps!' He wasn't trying to be rude or anything, but he honestly, to save his own life, could not figure out this individual's gender. It seemed to be somewhere in between…

The attendant held _its_ hand out in order to shake it, which Souji accepted. The attendant went to back to _its_ job and Souji suddenly felt dizzy and probably would've collapsed if Nanako hadn't called out to him asking if he was carsick. Whatever the reason, the dizziness passed as soon as they were on the road again.

They arrived to the Dojima residence a short while later. On a previous day, he had sent many of the things he needed on ahead while only carrying the things that he had missed when he was transferring his stuff. It wasn't much, but he would still rather carry them on his person. His room was filled with many of the boxes that Dojima had thoughtfully brought up to his room. He would have to sort things out later. It was dinner by the time Souji finished settling into his new room. They were eating with the news on talking about scandals and such things until it was interrupted by Dojima's phone ringing.

"Yes… yes, alright I'll be there." Turning to Nanako and Souji he said, "I need to go out for work. I'll be late so Nanako help him out won't you?" Dojima finished as he left.

So now it was just Souji and Nanako… alone in the house… with no parental supervision… watching TV which was advertising for a store called Junes. "Every day is great at your Junes!" Nanako repeated the jingle too.

'Man if this wasn't Nanako; I probably would've made some kind of snide remark on that jingle. Even if I meant it jokingly, she might take it the wrong way.' Souji thought.

"So what does your dad do for work?" Souji asked trying to strike up a conversation.

"He investigates stuff like crime scenes. He's a detective." Nanako said before turning back to the TV.

'Poor girl… Sounds like Dojima is out often.' Souji thought. He thought about how similar it was with his own parents.

After eating, he headed up to his messy and unsorted room. He felt tired and fell asleep before he hit the pillow. A dream or something like it came up while he was sleeping. He wasn't sure what was happening since it was really foggy, however he did get into fight in this dream of his, except he couldn't tell what he was fighting. The figure he fought gave off an ominous feeling and spouted a bunch of nonsense and all Souji could do was attempt to vanquish the unseen foe. The fog suddenly became dense to the point where even his attempts of attacking became nonexistent. Somehow someway, he fell unconscious in the strange dream.

The next morning he was awaken by Nanako, which was good seeing as he could've easily been late for his first day of school. She was serving breakfast by the time he got downstairs. Apparently Nanako does pretty much all the housework, but she said she doesn't mind.

'That's it! I'm going to help out with some of this stuff whenever I can. Although… I should do it anyways since I live here now too…'

It was raining when they left the house. Nanako said she would walk with him part ways to school, which Souji was quite grateful for. He didn't exactly know much about the town so he might somehow get lost. Don't ask. She walked with him to the floodplains where, after giving him final directions, she parted ways with him and ran off in the direction to her own school.

As Souji neared the school, a student attempting to ride his bike while holding an umbrella biked passed him and crashed into a pole. He had brown hair, headphones around his neck, and was in pain. Souji saw he was in quite a bit of pain so of course if you see someone in pain you clearly leave them alone. Besides he didn't want to be late on his first day.

Souji's first look of the school finally came to view a short while later. It wasn't the largest school he'd been to, but its atmosphere was inviting. Perhaps he would enjoy his time here. He saw students racing inside to get out of the rain and followed as well. As soon as he entered the school, Souji was approached by some guy with an ugly suit and a mustache… oh fricken hell! That's his teeth! He was then practically dragged up to his classroom without any explanation in the slightest.

"Alright, shut your traps! I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward!" Morooka droned on practically berating his students with his comments. Souji just stared around at his classmates for the year while ignoring Morooka's rant. Many of them looked intrigued to see him, while others could care less.

"…as much of a loser here as he was there, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him!" Wait what! "Now hurry up, introduce yourself!"

"You call me a loser?" There was a gasp of surprise in the class. Souji was just annoyed with this guy now. He just wanted to…

"That's it; you're on my shit list, effective immediately!" Morooka growled out. Souji just rolled his eyes.

'He probably won't live much longer with that attitude.' Souji thought to himself.

"Uh… Excuse me! Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?" A girl in a green jacket asked.

Without really caring what Morooka said, Souji just walked over to the indicated area and took a seat. Morooka just grumbled on.

"He's the worse, huh?" the same girl whispered to him.

"Asshole, through and through." Souji whispered back.

"It's rotten luck for you to be stuck in this class. Just hang in there for the year."

A small smile appeared at the comforting words. The day passed relatively quickly and before Souji knew it class was over.

While Souji packed his belongings, the intercom had turned on causing everyone, including Morooka, to quiet down and listen intently.

"Attention all, teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice."

"You heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise idiots!" Morooka said before leaving the classroom. Damn finally!

The class heard some sirens outside and a few of the students became excited.

"Did something happen? Those sirens sound really close." One student said. "I can't see anything with this damn fog though." All around Souji, students were discussing theories about what may have happened and a bunch of rumors that made little to no sense.

The intercom came on again awhile later. "Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the school zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home."

A lot of the students became excited and wanted to check it out so several of them left immediately. Souji couldn't deny that he was somewhat intrigued, but he wasn't going to deliberately go look for the incident.

"Hey are you going home by yourself?" The girl in the green jacket asked him as she approached with a black-haired girl. "Why don't you come with us?" She quickly realized that she had not introduced herself yet. "Oh right! I'm Chie Satonaka." Gesturing to her friend next to her, "This is Yukiko Amagi." The mentioned girl greeted him shyly. The three students began to walk together before they stopped again because of someone.

"Um… Miss Satonaka… ?" The student from this morning's incident asked slowly. "This was really awesome; especially the way they moved was amazing." He then said in a panicked voice, "I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please have mercy until my next paycheck! See ya and thanks!" The student finished meekly, handed over a DVD case, and promptly walked away.

"Stop right there! What did you do to my DVD!" Chie said running after him.

'Ouch… ' Souji thought after seeing what Chie just did to the guy.

"What the! It's completely cracked…" Chie lamented over the loss of her DVD.

"I think mine's cracked too… C-Critical hit to the nads… " The student said painfully.

"Are you alright?" Yukiko asked.

"Yukiko-san, are you worried about me… ?" The guy said hopefully.

Chie intervened. "He's fine, Yukiko. Let's ditch him and go home." Both Chie and Yukiko left the room.

'He looks like he's in a lot of pain. Well if you see someone in pain, of course you leave them be. Everybody knows that.' Souji thought before catching up with Chie and Yukiko.

They hadn't left the school yet before they were stopped again. This time it was some strange guy, who wore a uniform complete with a tie. It didn't seem like he went to Yasogami seeing as nobody recognized him, at least according to the talking that was going on around Souji. The strange student traded a few words with Yukiko before he was denied. He threw a small fit before running off. Strange kids these days. The student with the bike approached them and talked a bit with both Chie and Yukiko. Somehow he had recovered from Chie's assault and was perfectly fine so he biked off a short while later.

They walked for a bit trading life stories around between the three of them. He learned quite a bit from the two of them such as the town's interesting points like the Amagi inn, which Yukiko's family owned and its not-so-great points such as its lack of excitement.

"Do you think she's cute, Souji? Chie asked suddenly breaking Souji from his train of thought.

Souji looked at Yukiko before smiling. "Yeah, she looks cute." 'Not like I'm going to say otherwise.' Souji thought. He learned about Yukiko's family business which was a popular inn and was famous for its hot springs. Looking ahead Souji and the others saw there were a crowd of people as well as police cars.

"…So a high schooler left school early and found the body hanging from an antennae." A spectator said relating the news to someone nearby.

"Wow, who would've imagined that would be hanging there… "

"Wait! A body? A DEAD body?" Chie cried in surprise.

Souji saw his uncle approach them with a stern expression on his face. "Hey, what're you doing here?"

"Hello to you too, uncle." Souji greeted politely if somewhat sarcastically. He didn't really mean it, but it kind of turned out that way. Dojima didn't pick up on it however, which was good. He didn't want his guardian to get the wrong idea about him. "We were just curious."

"…I'd clear out of here if I were you. You might get in the way." Dojima warned. "Damn principal… " Dojima added grumbling. He then noticed the two girls.

"I'm Detective Dojima, his guardian during his stay in Inaba. Uh… I hope you get along with Souji here, but you three should stop wandering around and get home." Dojima said finishing. As soon as he was done a young man in a suit ran pass them and ran to the river nearby. They heard him groan as what could only be the contents of his stomach spilled out on to the ground. He looked like he was in pain as he clutched his stomach. If someone is in pain you clearly leave them be, besides his uncle said to go straight home anyways. The trio proceeded to leave and then went their separate ways.

Souji got home and helped to set up for dinner with Nanako, who was appreciative. She said dad wasn't going to be home today. She seemed quite sad.

The news was basically about the bizarre incident. Turns out the person found dead was Mayumi Yamano, who was a person that was involved in a love affair. The night ended with "Every day is great at your Junes" and Nanako repeating it. Fun stuff.

The next day Souji was walking to school. Nothing new. A routine that he was bound to get into eventually. As he neared the school area he saw the kid from yesterday bike pass him and of course he crashed and somehow got stuck in a trashcan. He was rolling around in it, and struggling to get out.

'Well it doesn't look like he's in pain today. He's just stuck so I should probably help him out.' Souji thought watching the scene with amusement.

"Thanks! You saved me there." The student said with gratitude. He took a good look at Souji. "Ah you're that transfer student, Souji Seta was it? I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya!"

"Likewise. Your bike doing okay there?" Souji asked.

"My bike? What about me?" Yosuke replied jokingly.

"There might be something wrong with your bike, but then again it could just be you." Souji and Yosuke shared a laugh and continued their way to school.

"Did you hear about that that incident from yesterday? Crazy stuff." Souji and Yosuke discussed the incident until they arrived to the school.

School was just the usual except that Morooka made everything worse. After school Yosuke invited Souji out to eat as a way to thank him for helping him out. Chie tagged along claiming that he owed her for wrecking her DVD, which Yosuke reluctantly accepted.

They all went to Junes, which Yosuke's father was the manager of. Souji learned a few things about Yosuke from Chie. He also met this girl name Saki Konishi, who Yosuke was obviously enamored with and Chie practically confirmed it. Something about the girl's personality seemed odd as if it was restrained, but for the sake of being polite he and the others chatted a bit with her before she left to go back to work.

"Have you guys ever heard of the Midnight Channel?" Chie asked. "You're supposed to look into an off TV during midnight when it rains. They say as you stare at the TV another person will show up on the TV and that person is supposed to be your soul mate…"

"What? I thought you were saying something important there. How can you get so excited over some urban legend like that?" Yosuke commented.

"I'm a bit skeptical about this too to be honest." Souji added.

"Well it's going to rain tonight! Let's all try it out and then you'll see!" Chie exclaimed.

That night, while eating, Dojima actually came home, while Souji was awake anyways, though it was late. Nanako was happy to see her father home that night, but Dojima was exhausted and collapsed on the couch watching the news. It was recapping the bizarre events of the dead body as well as interviewing the person who found the body. "Every day is great at your Junes!" Rinse and repeat.

'Oh right got to try out that Midnight Channel thing.' Souji headed upstairs where he passed the night reading a book. When midnight approached, Souji got up and stared at the TV. He didn't expect anything to appear and turned away almost immediately when suddenly the TV turned on.

'Oh fricken hell! Something actually came on!' Souji's eyes widened. He watched in fascination as an image of a female had appeared on the screen though the image was difficult to make out. The channel had then shut off and his head began to ache all of a sudden. He could hear a voice in his head. **"Thou art I"** it said, but Souji couldn't concentrate on the rest of it before it passed. He wasn't sure what compelled him, but the next thing he knew his hand went through the TV like it was a pool of water and the rest of him was being sucked in before he managed to pull out. He stumbled back and fell, his head hitting the table... really hard. Apparently Nanako heard and asked if he was alright before heading back to her own room.

"My head is pounding. Erg… this is going to hurt like hell tomorrow." Souji said to no one in particular. "I need to sleep this off."

* * *

The Velvet Room, home to mysterious entities, run by none other than the enigma known as Igor. He has seen many strange things while helping those that enter this ever shifting place. Another strange phenomenon is taking place that he has not yet seen before. The room was once again changing its form. It took the form of a giant study with large bookshelves surrounding him, segmented only by the large windows that revealed the foggy outside world.

"What is going on? Margret asked. She was a lady with blonde hair wearing a blue outfit. She was also Igor's assistant.

"My… this is most intriguing. Never before has the Velvet Room changed in such a short amount of time." Igor chuckled.

"I can explain that." A voice called out from the darkness. She wore an outfit similar to Margret, though it was sleeveless, and wore a hat over her silvery blond hair.

"Ah… Elizabeth, it's good to see you again. You're here meaning you have accomplished what you set out to do?"

"As you can see, I was able to retrieve him…at least a part of him." Shifting to show the boy she was carrying. "I could not retrieve his entire being without breaking the seal. Though he is here in appearance, I do not know if his traits are still there. Most likely he will be unable to recall his past. They are not lost however; he may remember things over time. He is the most probable reason for the Velvet Room's shifting appearance."

"Elizabeth… Sister, how were you able to retrieve him with the seal intact?" Margret said hesitantly. She still did not understand why Elizabeth left the Velvet Room for this boy.

"I merely had to replace the removed portion with something else." Elizabeth said carrying the unconscious boy over to the couch nearby and laying him down.

"What did you… replace it with?" Margret asked hesitantly fearing the answer.

"Another life source… mines in fact. It was the only way…" Elizabeth would've continued, but collapsed in a nearby chair.

"Elizabeth!"

The eye lids of the blue-haired boy flickered open.

* * *

This chapter has been betaed by RionAgrias. A big thanks for taking the time to do so!


	2. Chapter 2

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 2**

The next day Chie, Yosuke, and Souji met up after school by Souji's desk discussing what they had seen last night. They all agreed that they had seen a girl of some sort while watching the Midnight Channel.

"My soul mate is a girl? What is that supposed to mean?" Chie asked, apparently confused.

"I could say so many things about that, but this is serious business here." Souji replied.

Chie gave him an annoyed look. "I couldn't tell who it was exactly, but she was wearing our school uniform."

"So is there anything else you can add about what you saw last night?" Yosuke asked.

"Well…" Souji told them about his events of last night.

"…So my cousin, Nanako and I ate dinner until my uncle came home last night. We watched TV for a bit before that Junes jingle came on and then Nanako was like "Every day is great at your Jun-"

"Uh… get to the Midnight Channel part." Yosuke said, apparently not liking the jingle either.

"Oh right. Well, I saw the same thing you guys saw, but I got this massive headache and heard voices in my head afterwards. Then all of a sudden my hand went through the TV, and the rest of my body with it. My TV was too small though so I was able to pull back out. I slammed my head against the table really hard." Souji finished, while rubbing the back of his head gaining weird looks from both Yosuke and Chie.

"…What was that about getting sucked into your TV? Yosuke asked slowly. "This is serious business, like you said. Maybe you just got knocked unconscious in front of your TV when you fell back."

"I like the part where you got stuck in your TV because it was too small. That's pretty realistic." Chie said. She had "That reminds me, my family has been talking about getting a bigger TV."

Figures they wouldn't believe him.

"Well, flatscreens are definitely in these days. You wanna go check them out on our way back?" Yosuke asked and Chie readily agreed so off they went to Junes.

At Junes, Yosuke was showing Chie a bunch of TVs. They even went as far as to tap the TV screen to make sure what Souji said was false. Jerks…

Yosuke and Chie went a little further down to check out more TVs. Souji stared at one of the TVs and wanted to confirm for himself that the whole hand-through-the-TV thing was false however, having his hand pass through the TV for the second time, cleared all remaining doubt he had left. Apparently, both Chie and Yosuke were shocked, babbling a lot of nonsense that had nothing to do with what was going on, something about magicians? Souji was thinking with a TV this large he could probably stick his head into it too. That action apparently shocked them even more causing Yosuke to actually have bladder problems. Yosuke yelled out that customers were coming and of course they started panicking causing them to all fall into the TV. Where they landed nobody knew. The landing hurt very much though.

The trio got up to take a look at their surroundings, which wasn't much considering all the fog that obscuring the area. They could however make out a studio of some kind? Well seeing as they couldn't find a way out of this strange world, they went to explore. They stumbled onto a normal room at first appearance, but what threw the trio off was that there were clusters of posters on the wall with their face cut off. There was also a chair and a noose-like object… Under Chie's suggestion the trio decided they should go back to where they came in, it didn't help that the trio was feeling nauseated as well.

"Whoa, what is that?" Chie exclaimed. Both Yosuke and Souji looked in the direction she was looking at. A figure walked forward and it revealed itself to be… a bear? It was very round for a bear. It talked too. Greatest discovery ever!

"Who are you guys…?" The bear thing asked.

"W-What are you…? Uh… Y-You wanna fight…?" Chie yelled out stuttering.

"D-Don't yell at me like." The bear thing said cowering over apparently to shield itself from Chie's wrath.

"Excuse me… but what is this place?" Souji asked taking control of the situation.

"This place is what it is. It doesn't have a name. It's just where I live. If I were you guys I'd hurry back to the other side. Someone has been throwing people in here."

"Throwing people in? What are you talking about? Yosuke asked, getting over his initial shock.

They never really got an answer from the bear thing, but Chie was still panicked about their situation and shouted at the bear thing some more causing it to hide behind Souji. They talked a little while longer before finding out that the bear could let them out. The bear thing summoned a stack of TVs and promptly pushed them out of the mysterious world. They landed in front of the TV in Junes. After getting through the shock that they made it back home; they found out it was late and they were exhausted so they agreed to go their separate ways.

It was evening by the time Souji returned home. Dojima was waiting for him when he got there and Nanako was patiently waiting for the ramen to be ready so they could eat their dinner.

"…I doubt you would know, but have you heard of a student named Saki Konishi?" Dojima asked hesitantly.

"Well she wasn't at school today." Souji said after recalling what a few other students said earlier at school today.

"…I see. To be honest we got a call from her family saying she disappeared. We are currently looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet." Dojima grumbled something else under his breath.

The TV was on again and the news was still talking about Mayumi Yamano. The night passed quietly… kind of. "Every day is great at your Junes!" Nanako repeats it. Yep, perfectly quiet night.

The next morning Souji walked to school and overheard something interesting. Apparently, something happened in town and the police were on it, although it wasn't clear what happened. School started normally, though Yosuke seemed a bit down and distant. The afternoon schedule was filled with a school assembly.

The principal addressed the school that Saki Konishi had passed away which would explain Yosuke's current demeanor. The school was shocked and began to murmur things amongst themselves.

After the assembly, Yosuke confronted Chie and Souji about Saki. He was saying how he watched the Midnight Channel again last night and saw Saki was in pain and stuff. Yosuke was adamant on the fact that the other world had something to do with her death. He began to explain his theories using Mayumi Yamano's death and what they discovered in the other world to support them. The more Souji listened to Yosuke; the more it began to make sense. Perhaps Yosuke was right to some extent. Yosuke was determined to go back into the other world to find the answer to his questions. Either way, Chie and Souji agreed that they couldn't leave Yosuke to do something like this alone.

Later in the after school hours, they met up with Yosuke at Junes. He was prepared having brought a golf club and some rope.

"Hey guys, thanks for coming." Yosuke greeted them upon Chie and Souji's arrival.

"We came to stop you, idiot! It's dangerous there." Chie exclaimed.

"I know, but we were able to come back once right? Maybe if we go in from the same location, we'll meet that bear thing again." Yosuke reasoned.

"Maybe isn't good enough!" Chie said, becoming slightly hysterical.

"I can't pretend this has nothing to do with me."

"…That's true, but…" Chie said calming down. She couldn't argue with that reasoning.

"And what about you? Could you just turn your back and walk away?" Yosuke said directing his question towards Souji.

"It's true I can't just walk away from this, but I'm worried about Chie going along with us."

"Right, it'll just be us two. Chie, I'm leaving you in charge of this." Yosuke said handing the coiled rope to her.

"Then this is a lifeline…?" Yosuke nodded confirming Chie's statement. Souji noticed that he had the rope tied around his waist.

"And this is for you, Souji." Yosuke handed him the golf club he was carrying. "I think it's better than going in empty-handed. Okay, let's go. We can't waste anymore time. Chie, don't let go of the rope."

Yosuke then followed Souji into the other world once more.

"Alright, we're here, same place too. Seems that they are connected." Yosuke said.

"You guys… Why'd you come back…?" the bear thing said, coming out of the fog. He went on a rant saying how the two of them were suspicious while implying that they could possibly be the ones that were throwing people into this strange world. He then made a rawr noise…

"Hell no!" Souji said just flat out denying it.

"What do you mean throwing people in? If people were thrown in here and they couldn't get out, then they might die!" Yosuke shouted denying it as well.

"Guys, once you come in you can't get out. It's a one-way door. Remember how I was the one who had to let you out?" The bear thing pointed out.

"Yeah? Well we don't need your help this time. We got this lifeli-" Yosuke stopped abruptly when he noticed the rope had been cut off from the outside world. "Uh… Hey you… you better let us out once we're done investigating here!" Yosuke said, trying to keep his cool.

The bear thing made a rawr noise again… "I'm the one that wants to investigate here. Do you have proof that you're not the ones throwing people in here?"

"Proof? How the hell are we supposed to give you proof?" Souji replied back.

"Then it must be you guys!" The bear thing concluded.

"For the last time it's not us. So we got nothing to prove to you." Yosuke argued back. "Listen, people have died in our world. Every time the fog appears, a dead body shows up with it. We're sure it has something to do with this world! If you know something, tell us!"

"I know that when the fog appears over there, the fog lifts here. It's dangerous when the fog lifts here. That's when the Shadows get violent." Teddie finished meekly. He then proceeded to say that they had to be the culprits making a few rawr noises…, which Yosuke got fed up with. Teddie and Yosuke ended up arguing some more while Souji just looked on silently enjoying the scene. Suddenly Yosuke decided to pull off the bear thing's head to reveal…nothing inside.

"Hey, it's empty inside!" Yosuke exclaimed dropping the… head?

'Yes I can see that with my own eyes.' Souji thought.

So the bear thing flipped his head back on and then proceeded to make them promise to find the culprit otherwise he would not let them out. They accepted without any real choice and proceeded to introduce themselves.

"I'm Yosuke Hanamura, and this is my buddy, Souji Seta." Yosuke said, introducing himself and gesturing to Souji. "You have a name?"

"…Teddie."

…

…

Moving onwards. The bear thing, now dubbed "Teddie", gave them glasses, which allowed them to see through the fog and took them to what Souji saw was the Shopping District in Inaba except it wasn't since they were still in the other world. Yosuke had run off to explore a bit on his own and came upon a liquor store that Yosuke confirmed as Saki's parents

"Did Saki-senpai disappear here?" Yosuke said to himself.

"W-Wait a second. T-They're here!" Teddie exclaimed.

"What?"

"…Shadows. I had a feeling they were going to attack…!" As Teddie said this, two creatures came out from the liquor store. The creatures shifted themselves and became two spherical creatures with their tongues lashing out. Yosuke stumbled back in surprise, and the creatures went after Souji and Teddie who were nearby. Souji grasped his head as the familiar headache came back to him.

"**I am thou…"**

"**Thou art I…"**

"**The time has come…"**

"**Open thine eyes and call forth what is within!"**

Opening his eyes he saw a card in his hand. The back side depicted a mask, one side black and the other white. Flipping the card over, he saw it was blank. The card glowed, and Souji could feel power surging through him. A phrase passed through his mind.

"Per…son…a!"

A figure with a large cleaver-like weapon came forth, and immediately the battle began. Teddie was on the sidelines telling him about Shadows and their weaknesses. Souji gave a nod.

"Izanagi!" Souji called out crushing the card in his hand.

The figure burst forth, cast Zio on one of the Shadows and then proceeded to cast another on the other shadow. They were taken down in no time. Yosuke was in awe at the ability Souji displayed.

"I heard you say 'Persona'? Is that what the power is called?" Yosuke was excited at the idea of gaining a Persona.

"Calm down, Yosuke! You're troubling Sensei!" Teddie said coming up to them.

"Sensei?" Both Yosuke and Souji said surprised.

"You were amazing, Sensei! I am one impressed bear!"

"Well, anyways with both you and Teddie here, we should be okay! Now let's get back to the investigation." Yosuke said. The trio cautiously entered the liquor store now aware of the dangers they may face.

* * *

I decided to get a good amount of the exposition out of the way before bringing in the crossover part.

Betaed by RionAgrias. A big thanks for doing so!


	3. Chapter 3

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 3**

The trio entered the liquor store. As they did, they heard voices, many of which commented on Junes in a bad way. There were also voices that talked about Saki Konishi commenting on how terrible she was for working at Junes. Entering the liquor store, they even heard Saki's father talking. Then finally, they heard Saki's voice which clearly stated how annoyed she was by calling Yosuke a 'pain in the ass.' Yosuke could not believe any of the things he was hearing and Souji unfortunately couldn't do anything about it as he watched his friend break down.

"**It's so sad… I feel so sorry for myself… Boo hoo… Ha! Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass. Hahaha!"**

"There are two Yosukes…?" Teddie said wide-eyed at seeing another Yosuke with yellow eyes.

"Who are you? What are you?" Yosuke said, apparently shocked.

"**Ha! You came here for Saki-senpai's sake? That's a laugh! I know the real reason you're out here."**

"S-Stop it!"

"**You wanted some excitement. You just wanted to do something while living out here in this shithole! There was no other reason for coming here! I know this for a fact because I am you!"**

"That's not true… S-Stop it!"

"**You thought you could do something while you were down here. Maybe even be a hero! Hahaha! And the death of that senpai of yours was the perfect excuse."**

"That's not true! Tell me who the hell you are?" Yosuke was becoming quite hysterical.

"**Hehehehehe, I already told ya. I'm you… your Shadow…there's NOTHING I don't know about you!"**

"Screw that! You can't be me, you son of a bitch!" Yosuke screamed at his Shadow.

Shadow Yosuke let out a maniacal laugh.

"**That's right… I am me now!" **There was a blinding flash and Shadow Yosuke transformed into some frog-like creature and on top of it was a humanoid like-person with large hands and a scarf. Yosuke pretty much fainted.

The Shadow stared at Souji.** "I am a Shadow… The true self… I'll crush everything that bores me… starting with you!" **The Shadow pointed at Souji to make his intent on crushing Souji clear.

The Shadow moved on the offensive first by launching a wind attack which knocked Souji down. It then proceeded to charge up.

"**How long can you survive this?" **The Shadow taunted.

"You son of a bitch, you aren't supposed to have the enemy advantage!" Souji yelled at the Shadow while getting up.

"This is much stronger then the last type of Shadow you faced." Teddie yelled from the sidelines.

'That's pretty obvious since it knocked me down right away.' Souji guarded as a hand came to slap him.

"Izanagi!"

Izanagi came to release a Zio on the Shadow which happened to be its weakness. It was funny to see it get knocked down helpless. That was all Souji had to do, although it did guard itself a few times and Souji had to do the same to block the wind. It was a short battle that soon came to an end. The large Shadow reverted back to Shadow Yosuke, though it was strangely silent. Yosuke got up apparently conscious again.

"Yosuke, you okay?" Teddie asked concerned.

"Y-Yeah… What… happened?" Teddie pointed behind Yosuke where the Shadow stood silently.

"Y-You're not me…" Yosuke stuttered.

"That thing came from you, Yosuke… You have to admit that what it was saying before is true or it'll go berserk again…" Teddie said.

"It's okay… You're still yourself you know." Souji added.

"Damn it… It hurts to face yourself…" Yosuke started, "I knew it wasn't lying, but I was so ashamed that I didn't want to admit it. You're me… and I'm you. When you get down to it, all of this is me." Yosuke seems to have accepted his Shadow because it faded and a Persona appeared where it stood and then it retreated into Yosuke.

"Yosuke has face his other self… He has obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona JIraiya!" Souji announced.

"What the hell man?" Yosuke said, giving him a weird look. He then fell to the ground in exhaustion. Man if you weren't here, who knows what would've happened. Thanks…"

Souji helped him up. "Come on, let's go." Souji said. As they walked back, Yosuke asked Teddie a couple of things.

"Hey Teddie, was Senpai attacked by her other self here like what just happened to me?"

"I think so. The Shadows here were originally born from humans. The fog lifts and they go berserk."

The trio talked about a few more things before they came back to the entrance area.

"U-Um… can I ask something too…? If Shadows are born from humans, what was Teddie born from?" Teddie asked shyly.

"If you don't even know where you came from, how should we know?" Yosuke pointed out.

"Hm… Will you guys… come back here?" Teddie asked.

"Well we promised we would help you out so yeah we're going to come back. Besides you wouldn't let us out if we didn't promise." Souji said.

Teddie was happy after that. He said that we should always enter from the same place otherwise they won't be able to meet up. He then proceeded to create an exit and pushed them out. The both ended up on the ground next to a surprised Chie. It was obvious that she looked like she was going to cry, but she got angry instead and knocked Yosuke over with the cut rope she was still carrying. She then stated that she hated them both before running off. They would have to apologize tomorrow. Souji and Yosuke parted ways there. It was raining as Souji was walking home. He saw Yukiko in a pink kimono sitting on a bench nearby. They chatted a bit about various things before Souji left.

Souji arrived home and ate dinner with Nanako, who said Dojima wasn't going to be home tonight. She always seems so sad… The news was on again and it was talking about the death of Saki Konishi and then it went on to talk about the Amagi Inn and a reporter was interviewing Yukiko, who seemed baffled at the time. Souji decided to help Nanako out with the housework before heading up to his room. "Every day is great at your Junes!" Repeat.

It was raining that night, so Souji decided to watch the Midnight Channel. It came on as expected, however he could not tell who it was since it was only a shadowy outline of the figure. He'll talk about this tomorrow with the others.

* * *

"Welcome…"

Souji opened his eyes to find himself standing in a study of some sort. He saw Igor and Margaret there as well as an unknown person.

'This is the Velvet Room? It looks different from the last time I was here.' Souji thought.

"Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world… I have summoned you within your dreams. And so we meet again." Igor said mysteriously. "Your destiny will require you to hone your power, and for that you will inevitably need our help. There is but one price. You must abide by the contract and assume responsibility for all decisions you may make." Igor and Margret continued to explain certain things about his destiny, Personas and Social Links.

"Um… who is this guy here?" Souji said gesturing to the blue-haired boy sitting nearby. He had a blank expression on his face as he listened to the conversation. He was no older then Souji was and looked like one of those depressed teenagers on TV.

"Ah…" Igor said as if noticing him for the first time. "Please, introduce yourself."

The guy got up and introduced himself while bowing politely. "Minato Arisato…" He said simply.

"Your destiny and his coincide as you both seek the truth." Igor said. "This boy here was once a guest of mine some time ago. His destiny led him to save all of humanity at the cost of his life. Yet… here he stands. A former assistant of mines went to save this boy from having to live out his fate." At this Margaret had a pained look on her face.

"This boy is unique in many ways. He, like you, is a wildcard having much potential. He however, cannot recall his past, therefore unable to draw upon that potential as he used to. Though his body will not show signs of aging due to his erratic life force, he is still mortal. Be sure to remember that when putting him in a dangerous situation…"

"Wait… putting him in a dangerous situation? Are you saying I have to take this guy around with me as part of my destiny?" Souji said. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Looking over to Minato, he still held the same blank expression, not at all surprised.

"Yes, as well as his own, however he will remain in this Velvet Room as a guest and a resident of this place. He requires your help to recall on his memories and to do that he will need to explore the outside world. I ask that you retrieve him next you come here."

"I…" Souji started. What could he say? Some guy with crippled power needs his help? He just doesn't show any feeling towards this arrangement. Minato just stared at him blankly. Maybe he would be able to help this guy. He felt compelled to. He couldn't just leave him, like his parents had done so many times before… Well it's not like he's asking for much.

"I accept." Souji said firmly without hesitation.

"Now… hold on to this." Igor said handing him a key. "From this night forth, you are a guest in this Velvet Room. I look forward to traveling the road of your destinies together… 'Til we meet again…" Igor chuckled. There was a flash and Souji was gone.

* * *

"So… how does it feel to meet your spiritual successor?" Igor asked.

"How should I feel? If you say this guest of yours will help me seek the answers to my questions then I should be happy. Why can you not tell me about what happened then?" Minato asked tonelessly.

"My boy… I am merely an acquaintance of yours. I cannot tell you the answers you seek. The last time I saw you was when you had completed your destiny. Sealing the mighty being Nyx and separating her from Erebus. The rest you must discover on your own."

"…I see." Minato said before he went over to the bookshelves searching for the answers to his questions.

* * *

Betaed by RionAgrias. As always thanks.


	4. Chapter 4

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 4**

The next morning Souji was walking to school when Yosuke caught up to him on his battered bike. Yosuke went on a chivalry rant saying that they had to be the ones to find the culprit because using the TV as a weapon to kill was unforgivable, which Souji agreed wholeheartedly. Souji felt a faint bond form between them.

'Was this what Igor meant by creating Social Links?' Souji thought, remembering the events of last night.

They had arrived to school and were discussing the case before class started when Chie ran into the room looking slightly panicked. She was looking for Yukiko.

"Was all that stuff you were saying about the Midnight Channel really related to that other world?" Chie asked slowly.

"Oh we were just discussing that. We were going to check it out later." Yosuke answered.

"The person on the Midnight Channel yesterday… I think it was Yukiko. That kimono looks like the one she wears at the inn." Chie explained her reasoning while looking somewhat agitated.

Chie looked scared, and at Yosuke's suggestion, she tried calling Yukiko. She didn't pick up however. Yosuke became worried as well and said that Yukiko might have been thrown into the other world. Chie didn't want to believe it so she then tried calling the inn's number. She started talking with someone. She seemed relieved and the others guessed that it was Yukiko.

"Stupid Yosuke, she was totally fine. She just had to work at the inn today. It was really busy or something." Chie said, yelling at Yosuke.

"S-Sorry, but there was a reason we thought that." Yosuke said, defending himself. "Well, we thought that people show up on the Midnight Channel because they are already in that other world. I mean it makes sense…" Yosuke continued. He would've gone on, but school had started so they agreed to meet up at Junes later.

At Junes after school, Souji filled Chie in on what happened the last time they were there. They couldn't enter the TV without being noticed by the customers that were nearby. Yosuke's brilliant idea was to make a human wall with Chie while Souji talked with Teddie. It worked somehow.

"Stick your hand in and try calling him over." Yosuke said.

So, putting his hand into the TV, Souji tried to beckon Teddie over. A moment later his hand was in pain and he quickly pulled his hand out.

"Dude, is that a bite mark? A-Are you okay?" Chie asked concerned.

'I think I'm gonna cry…' Souji thought. "I'll be fine, that was nothing." Souji said, contrary to what he thought. He examined his hand closely afterwards and saw no bleeding.

"That bear thing must've done it! Hey! We know you're in there." Chie said.

"Oh, is this a game?" Teddie called from the TV. You have no idea.

"No, it's not a game! Can you sense anyone in there right now?" Yosuke said exasperated.

"Who…? I'm just a lonely bear like always. This land is so… bear-ren." The trio rolled their eyes.

"So there's no one in there?" Yosuke asked again.

"I'm not lying. My nose is as good as ever."

With nothing new coming up, they decided to be prepared anyways. Souji and Yosuke traded numbers so that they could call each other when the Midnight Channel came on at night.

That night, Souji ate dinner because it's important to eat and conversed with Nanako a little bit. It seems Dojima was not going to be home that night. Souji went to his room early to get some school related stuff out of the way. "Every day is great at your Junes!" It's starting to sound catchy… damn it.

…To say the least today's Midnight Channel was… interesting. To say the most it was just beyond crazy. Apparently, Yukiko wants to score a hot stud and what was that about lacy unmentionables? Hormones gone crazy. Yosuke called him soon after and they discussed what they just saw. They made a plan to meet up at Junes tomorrow morning since there was no school.

The next morning Souji got dressed to go out for the day, however he didn't want to leave Nanako alone in the house seeing as her father wasn't home. Nanako seemed to understand this, so she said it was okay to leave. She just turned on the TV.

At Junes, Souji waited patiently for Yosuke to show up and when he did it seemed he had brought a couple of things with him.

"Sorry for the hold up. I found some stuff we could use in the closet at home," He let a grin spread across his face, "Take a look at these!" Yosuke brandished a katana and an aikuchi. "We have Personas, but a golf club is not that reliable of a weapon."

"I think the katana is more my style." Souji said. Yosuke chuckled. He began to show off a bunch of different moves and poses with the weapons. Souji then realized this did not look good. His fears were confirmed when a police officer came over. Naturally, the officer only saw a teenager brandishing weapons in a public food court with his silver-haired sidekick. When the officer called for Yosuke to halt his activities, Yosuke lost his cool and started babbling a lot of nonsense and waving his hands around hysterically. Since he was carrying weapons in each hand, it looked like he was threatening the officer. Other officers arrived and Souji tried to reason with them, but to no avail.

A short while later at the police station they were released thanks to Dojima. Souji and Yosuke apologized and tried to explain that it was a misunderstanding. Whether or not Dojima listened, Souji couldn't tell. Dojima just gave them a warning and left. As the two of them left, they heard something interesting about Yukiko. Apparently she has disappeared. They ran into that detective that Souji saw was in pain on his first day in Inaba. Good times… They learned from him that Yukiko was indeed gone and the police believed that she might've run away. Apparently, there was something going down between Mayumi Yamano and Yukiko's mother. The detective was called away and Yosuke and Souji left.

As the two of them exited the station, they heard a familiar voice call out. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" They turned and saw Chie.

"Uh… well there was a slight misunderstanding and… uh… we'll tell you about it later. Yosuke said awkwardly.

"Actually, it's best that you don't know since it involved Yosuke here." Souji said.

"Anyways…" Yosuke said hastily. "Yukiko-san's disappeared!"

"You know already? Well, I went to her house and it turns out she really did disappear!"

Yosuke told Chie the things they learned from the detective about the announcer and Yukiko's mother. Chie was determined to go along with Yosuke and Souji this time to rescue Yukiko. Chie heard from Yosuke that they had their weapons confiscated and she led them to this weap-er… metal works shop where they could get sharp metal objects for the offense and armor for defense… Never again shall they be called weapons. Sharp pointy metals they shall be called!

Somehow Chie knew where they could get sharp pointy metals and Souji didn't ask. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know. After buying everything needed, they went their separate ways before meeting up at Junes. Nearby the metal works there was a transparent blue door. The Velvet Key in Souji's pocket began to shine in reaction to the door. Before he knew it, he was standing in the study again.

"We have been expecting you. The catastrophe that is headed your way… It has already taken human lives in its approach to you, but you have nothing to fear. You already have the power to fight against it. It seems that the time for you to use your Persona has come…" Igor chuckled in his creepy way. Both Margret and Igor explained what they did to assist. Igor power was to fuse multiple Personas together to create a new one while Margret registers Personas to be recalled another time using the giant book she always carries.

"Now then…" Igor continued, "You remember that you agreed to take this boy with you correct?"

"Right. So where is Minato?" Souji asked.

"Here." A voice said from behind Souji. Souji flinched slightly and turned around. Minato stood there, staring blankly ahead with his hands shoved into his pockets.

"Er… right. Well, come on then." Souji said leaving with Minato following close behind.

"Until next time… farewell." Souji heard.

"Hm…"

…

"Anything?" Souji asked Minato.

"What?"

"Do you remember anything yet?"

"Hardly, it has only been like 5 seconds. I don't remember anything about myself other then what Igor has told me and even that was vague. I don't even know what to do honestly."

"Alright, well let's go. We're going to meet up with my friends and rescue someone. Maybe once you've seen Personas, you'll remember something."

"…Hm? You say something?" Minato tilted his head giving Souji a quizzical look.

"You serious?"

"Do I look serious?"

"I can't tell…" With the sun glowing brightly over them, Souji noticed, for the first time, that his outfit was some kind of school uniform. From which school, he did not know.

"Moving on then." Minato walked away.

"You don't even know where Junes is!"

* * *

At Junes, Yosuke and Chie were in their school uniforms awaiting Souji's arrival. Souji also changed before going to Junes. Somehow changing into school uniforms allowed them to hide their sharp metal objects. Greatest discovery ever! Both Yosuke and Chie were surprised at the newcomer.

"Uh…" Yosuke started, staring at Minato. Yosuke whispered loudly to Souji. "Who is that?"

"Minato Arisato." Minato whispered loudly to Yosuke who stuttered an apology and introduced himself and Chie.

"It's as he says. He's going with us into the other world." Souji said.

"What? Why?" Chie asked.

"I'm here to assist Souji." Minato said, gesturing to Souji. "I wish to go with him into the other world to hopefully acquire my lost memories."

"What? Lost memories? But it's dangerous there." Chie said worriedly.

"Don't forget Chie, that's what we told you too, but you insisted." Yosuke intervened.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine. I won't get in your way." Minato smiled slightly for the first time Souji has seen him.

"Well let's get going. The sale should end soon and get rid of some of the people wandering about."

The group left to go towards the electronics department where they can enter the other world.

* * *

Betaed by RionAgrias. Thanks as always.


	5. Chapter 5

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 5**

"Hey, what are you doing?" Yosuke asked Teddie who was off in the corner.

"Can't you tell? I'm thinking about stuff."

'Well if standing in the corner is how you think, I got no complaints.' Souji thought. He looked to see Minato watching everything with a fascinated expression on his face.

"Listen…" Chie started. "Someone came here yesterday, right?"

"Wow!" Teddie said wide-eyed. "There's a girl with a better nose than me! What's your name, miss?"

"M-Miss? Uh…I'm Chie, but never mind that! Tell me more about this 'someone'!"

"I think it happened a little after I talked with you guys. After that, it felt like someone was here. I haven't looked yet, but it's over that way." Teddie said pointing. They all ran in that direction and arrived to a castle. It was the same one they saw in the background of the Midnight Channel. They discussed a few things outside the castle and then Chie ran off before anyone could stop her. They ran after her.

Running through the maze-like area was difficult. Sometimes they would run into dead ends. Other times they would run into Shadows. Although with Yosuke's help it made fighting the Shadows much easier. His Persona, Jiraiya, made quick work of the enemies with its Garu skills. Minato was unable to do anything and just looked on with a determined expression. He followed closely behind them however. It seemed he was trying his best to recall something, but to no avail. They finally found stairs, which they went up and was greeted by a door. Teddie was certain that Chie was behind that door and they all went in without hesitation.

"Chie, are you alright?" Yosuke said, running up to her. She didn't answer, however. They began to hear Yukiko's voice around them as if she was reminiscing and Chie listened intently. They heard how she felt worthless and only Chie seemed to give her life meaning.

"**Chie is so kind, huh? What a joke." **Another Chie with yellow eyes appeared.

"Oh man… Is that…?" Yosuke started.

"It's just like with Yosuke." Teddie said in awe. "It's a Shadow!"

"**Are we talking about THAT Yukiko? She says I'm protecting her? She says she's worthless! Hehehe! That's how it should be, right?**

"What… What're you saying? Chie said, shocked.

"**Yukiko's sooo good looking… sooo fair skinned… sooo feminine…" **Shadow Chie went on.

"**Yukiko knows the score. She can't do anything if I'm not around. I'm better than her… much, much better!"**

"No! I've never thought that!" Chie yelled.

"Crap, this is getting out of hand." Yosuke said.

"We need to protect Chie-chan!" Teddie said. They all ran forward in an attempt to stop Chie from going too far.

"N-No, don't come near me!" Chie yelled, turning to the others.

"**I'm the one that can't do anything alone…I can't win as a girl, let alone as a person… I'm pathetic." **The Shadow continued to taunt her. **"But Yukiko… She depends on me. That's why she's my friend… I'll never loosen my grip on her."**

"No… that's not how I think of her…"

"**So, you're gonna turn your back and deny me again?"**

"Shut up! You're… You're not me!"

With those words, Chie was knocked back unconscious while Shadow Chie transformed. It resembled some kind of figure that wore bright yellow clothing and it sat upon humanoid-looking figure as if it was better than it. It had some whip action going on too.

"**I am a Shadow… The true self… What do you guys think you're doing? Trying to defend the 'real' me? Then you're going to pay the price!"**

"Shut up! Quit being such a pain!" Yosuke yelled.

"You guys go take care of the Shadow! I'll move Chie to a safe place." Minato yelled over the Shadow's laughter.

"Waaaaaaaaaait!" Teddie shouted. Everybody stopped even the Shadow. "…Who are you? Were you there the entire time?"

"Minato Arisato and yes I was just silent the entire time."

…

…

"Okay, beary pleased to meet you!"

"Uh… likewise."

"Teddie! Focus here." Souji yelled out. "Izanagi!"

"Jiraiya!"

Both Yosuke and Souji summoned their respective Personas and proceeded with the beat down. Izanagi cast Zio and JIraiya cast Garu on it. Garu was the most helpful since it knocked the Shadow down and they took this chance to double team it; bashing it with their weap- metal objects a multitude of times. The Shadow cast Green Wall to protect its weakness from Yosuke. It cast a Mazio, which hit both of them, but knocked Yosuke down.

"Yosuke, guard if it casts Mazio again!" Souji ordered Yosuke. He nodded.

Souji had Izanagi weaken its defenses with Rakunda and had Yosuke attack it. With Yosuke's Garu attacks, they were able to defeat it in no time.

Minato watched the battle rage on, clearly seeing that victory was in sight for them. He had laid Chie against the wall and waited for her to awaken. He then felt a presence from behind. It was a couple of those creatures with the huge lashing tongues Minato had seen Souji and Yosuke fight. It appeared that they had been attracted by the power output that Shadow Chie radiated. Speaking of which, one of them knocked Minato down with its tongue.

"Sensei! Minato is in trouble!" Teddie shrieked.

Souji turned wide-eyed, as the other Shadows went forward to attack Minato. Minato, who was on the ground, began to slowly stand up. He turned to see the two Shadows rush towards him.

'Crap… what do I do…?'

Something clattered onto the ground next to him. It was a silver hand gun. It had the abbreviation SEES on it. Minato immediately picked it up without thinking. It felt familiar to him somehow. As soon as he picked it up, his head was suddenly invaded by brief instances of memory. Among them, there was an eerie green moon as well as a larger Shadow holding a multitude of knives.

"**Go on…" **Minato heard. That was a familiar although kind of creepy voice… He held the gun to his head.

"Persona…!" He pulled the trigger and the sound of shattering was heard throughout the room.

"**Thou art I."**

"**And I am thou."**

"**From the sea of thy soul I cometh."**

"**I am Orpheus, master of strings!"**

A Persona with a lyre on its back burst forth from Minato. The Persona, identified as Orpheus, strummed its lyre casting an Agi at them. Rushing forward, Orpheus delivered a few blows to the Shadows with his lyre to finish them off. Orpheus retreated back to Minato once they were defeated. Souji and Yosuke, who had just finished up with Shadow Chie, ran over to Minato, who was clutched his head and breathed heavily.

"Dude, what did you do?" Yosuke exclaimed in surprise.

"I… I'm not sure. Persona…?" Minato said, trying to understand what just happened. He didn't have a chance to because he fell unconscious the next moment. Souji and Yosuke went to both steady him and laid him down. During this time Chie had become conscious again.

"Chie, are you okay?" Yosuke asked worriedly.

"What's the matter? Got nothing to say anymore?" From her position, Chie frowned at her Shadow, who had reverted back and was silent.

"Chie, it's okay!" Yosuke said trying to comfort her.

"Don't worry about it. We understand. Besides, you're better than that thing." Souji added.

"But I…"

"He's right. I went through the same thing. So I can understand… Everyone has a side like this." Yosuke intervened.

Chie seemed somewhat reluctant, but she understood that she tried to ignore her other feelings. The Shadow faded and a Persona appeared in its place before retreating into Chie.

"Chie has faced her other self… She has obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona Tomoe!"

"Dude, not now." Yosuke said, giving Souji a weird look.

"But if not now, there won't be a later time to say it." Souji replied.

Chie fell to the floor, tired from the ordeal. Yosuke suggested it would be best to go back for now and everyone agreed except Chie, who didn't want to leave Yukiko alone in this world. Teddie explained that Yukiko should be safe until the fog lifts in this world. She reluctantly agreed to leave for now. Souji and Yosuke picked Minato up and carried him out with Teddie and Chie following them. They all had questions for Minato, but decided it'd be best to wait till he woke up and told them himself. They exited the castle and made their way back to the entrance of the world.

"My head feels like it's going to split open… Are you guys okay?" Chie asked, holding her head.

"We're good, thanks to these." Souji said, gesturing to his glasses.

"That's right; you're not wearing the glasses." Yosuke said.

"Oh yeah… What's with those glasses? Did your eyesight go bad?"

"Wow you didn't notice till now…?"

"Tum de dummm!" Teddie said, getting everyone's attention except for Minato's. Well he didn't rawr… "I got a pair ready for Chie-chan too. Here you go!" Teddie handed Chie a pair of glasses with yellow frames. "Here, this pair is for Minato!" Teddie gave out another pair of glasses this one with a dark blue frame that appeared black, to Souji for him to hold on to.

"Whoa! This is awesome! It's like the fog doesn't exist!" Chie exclaimed.

"Why didn't you whip those out earlier if you had them?" Yosuke asked somewhat accusingly.

"I made them right now! You didn't tell that these two were coming! It was all so sadden! I mean sudden…" Teddie said defensively.

"So that's how…" Chie said, realizing. "Is it alright if I keep these?"

"Fo' sho!"

"Okay, let's promise each other… Nobody goes in alone. It's way too dangerous. If we don't work together we won't be able to save Yukiko-san or solve this case for that matter." Souji and Chie both nodded in agreement.

"Hey…Would you mind being our leader?" Yosuke asked suddenly. "You were the first to get this power and you're way better in a fight then any of us. I think it's best if you were the one to set the pace of the investigation and we'll follow your lead."

"Right, leave it to me then." Souji said, without hesitation.

"That's good. I'm more of an ideas man myself heh…"

"I agree. I think I'd feel a lot better about this if you were the one calling the shots." Chie voiced her agreement.

"Me too! If you're the one calling the shots, my pillow will be a lot more comfortable at night."

'What's that suppose to mean?' Souji thought as Chie yelled at Teddie because she was on edge. He felt a bond being formed between them all. Saying goodbye to Teddie, they all left the TV world to go home. Souji insisted that he be the one to take Minato home saying that it was his duty as leader to make sure his comrades get back safely. He couldn't exactly say he was going to visit an old man of mysterious origins to drop this guy back home.

"Welcome." Igor greeted in his creepy way. Souji greeted him back and dropped Minato onto one of the couches nearby.

"It seems that Orpheus has heeded his call once again." Igor chuckled.

"So he really is a Persona user…"

"You were doubtful of this boy's ability?"

Souji didn't say anything. He felt… jealous? His ability to fight with his Persona seemed to be on a much larger scale than Souji. He commanded it like a natural… like a leader should. Souji changed the subject, noticing that Margret was not at Igor's side.

"Where's Margret at?"

"She is away taking care of someone dear to her. I believe I mentioned before that a former assistant of mine retrieved this boy. In doing so, she exhausted much of her power and is currently recovering."

"I see…" Souji stated lamely. He didn't really know what to say. Bidding Igor a farewell, Souji returned home. When he got home, he had made it in time for dinner and ate with both Nanako and Dojima. The news was on saying there had been odd deaths in Okina City, which according to the map looked to be a train ride away from Inaba. The bodies were found to be in a reverse state and were as much as a mystery as the killings in Inaba. It was bizarre, but the Inaba police have their own cases to deal with.

"Hey, mind if I ask something?" Dojima asked Souji. "You aren't getting involved in anything strange, are you…?" Souji looked up from his food giving Dojima a quizzical look. "What happened at the station this afternoon… it's still bothering me. Is there… anything you're not telling me?"

"Of course not. Please do not worry." Souji said without hesitation. He felt bad lying to his uncle, but he would never have believed Souji's story of the TV world.

"…Is something bothering you? Believe me, I do feel bad that we hadn't had a chance to talk with all this work going on."

"What's wrong? Are you fighting…?" Nanako hesitantly asked.

"No… we're not fighting." Souji backed him up on that.

"This isn't the police station…" Nanako said upset.

They went back to dinner and the weather report came on. It seemed that it would be sunny for awhile meaning no fog which meant Yukiko would be safe. After knowing that, Souji felt exhausted and went to sleep in his room.

The next day was school again. Yosuke and Souji went over yesterday's events before Chie arrived. She was really grateful for everything that the two had done for her and expressed it somewhat shyly. She was still embarrassed that Souji and Yosuke saw her hidden feelings. The subject eventually drifted to how Souji did not have face his Shadow when obtaining his Persona. Like with Yosuke, he felt a faint bond form between him and Chie. Then they traded phone numbers to keep in contact. School began and it was the usual. He listened to the lectures, answered a few questions, and ate lunch.

After school, Souji decided that they should go to Yukiko's castle dungeon and improve their battle technique and there teamwork. They stayed on the first floor and battled in that area for the day. Minato could not go as he was still unconscious from yesterday. Souji learned their strengths and weaknesses in battle. They didn't make progress in the castle, much to Chie's dismay, but today was for the purpose of getting to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. He went home that night and studied before sleeping.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews both ginryuumaru and Destinydeck. I might not have the most original idea, but I also have my own plot to lay out and will involve everyone at some point. The news thing earlier was a slight start to that plot. If any of you ever watched the anime, that's where the idea came from, but it really has nothing to do with the anime at all.

Betaed by RionAgrias. Thanks as always.


	6. Looking Back: An Interlude 1

This interlude might help the next chapter make more sense. Read this if you wish to understand some of Minato's past.

**Just Kickin' it**

**January**

**Two days before the Promise Day**

The girls had their own night out so why not have a guy's night out. It wasn't really meant to be a guy's night, but all the other female members of SEES had all left to go out, which left only the guys and Koromaru at the dorm. The Promise Day was closing in and it could very well be their last moments together. SEES was dedicated to fighting Shadows, but that didn't mean they fought all the time. It was a time where they could really bond with others or make new friends, like in the case with Yukari and Mitsuru, and Junpei and Minato.

Akihiko didn't really have the best social skills despite his popularity, but his time in SEES had really made him more open, especially once he found his resolve after Shinjiro's death.

Ken probably underwent the greatest change. He spent the last two years of his life working towards revenge and when the time came for him to get his vengeance, he couldn't exact it and the person he wanted to kill protected him at the cost of his own life.

Junpei had always been the clown of the group. He always aspired to become someone great and grew jealous of Minato for being the leader all the time. He had become much more serious after Chidori's death and worked hard to live for her.

"The girls are all out and it's only just us guys. Well, this might be our last chance to hang out like this with just guys, I suppose…" Junpei sighed.

"We should probably train for the upcoming battle. There are only a couple of days left." Akihiko said clenching his fists.

"It's best that we don't. If something were to happen today, we might not be able to recover in time." Minato reasoned.

"Besides the others are out so there's no point if they don't get the training either." Ken agreed.

"We really have come a long way though haven't we?" Junpei started. "Looking back I would've told myself to be more serious especially now that it has come to this."

"I was a lot like Junpei when I first joined. I did it because I wanted a good fight. I probably would've told myself the same thing…" Akihiko reminisced.

"What about you Minato-san? You've done really well since the beginning according to everyone else. Was there anything you would like to have done differently?" Ken asked.

"The one thing I regret was Shinjiro's death. It could've easily been avoided. Had I been able to predict something like that would happen, I would've have done things differently." Minato said regretfully. "I'm a leader and I failed to watch out for my comrades. I should've realized a lot sooner and made a connection about you and Shinjiro."

"No, it wasn't your fault at all. In fact if anybody could've stopped it, that would be me. I knew Shinji the most and I should've realized how much pain he was in from having got away from a crime that he could never be punished for." Akihiko said in response.

"Yeah, you've been a great leader to us. Man I can't believe how much of an ass I was when you were always leader, but I'm glad that you're our leader. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we're willing to entrust you with our lives!" Everyone agreed with Junpei. "Here this is a sign of my trust to you." Junpei handed him a hat. It was the same kind that he always wore. "It's actually one of a kind. I know a guy, who knows a guy that I know and he made me another one of these hats."

"Junpei…"

"Even Mitsuru thinks so and she's the leader of SEES. We've been around SEES much longer than any of you guys have, but while Mitsuru and I lead SEES, I think you lead better in combat then either of us ever could." Akihiko handed Minato his gloves. "Here these are the leather gloves that I always wear. They are made of high quality stuff. This is my thanks to you."

"Senpai…"

"Minato-san, you never really treated me like a kid even though I know I am. Everyone probably thought that I wouldn't be able to fight as well as the rest of you, but you looked past that and realized how useful I could be." Ken handed him an action figure. "This is my favorite, please take care of it.

"Ken-kun…"

"Woof, Woof!" Koromaru pushed something forward. Minato picked it up. It was Koromaru's old collar.

"Heh… you too? Thanks, you've all put your trust in me… You make me out as someone that can do anything… but I'm not a hero or anything. I just do what I can."

"Yeah, but you have this air about you. It's a great quality in a leader. We couldn't have asked for a better leader." Akihiko said shooting down any self doubt Minato had.

Minato was deeply touched by their friendship. "You guys all just gave me stuff… Did you all plan this or something?"

Everyone started fidgeting a little. Junpei spoke up. "Er… we didn't really plan it. We've been meaning to do this for awhile… I guess it just… happened to be today…?"

"Well, I won't think too much on it." Minato laughed. "I'm glad I met you guys and all of SEES, we went through some bad times, but there were great times too. I hope, when this is all over, I won't ever forget any of you."

* * *

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	7. Chapter 6

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 6**

The next day after school, Souji remembered that sport teams were accepting new applicants. He decided to join the basketball team since he did play before. His father used to be a great basketball player before he went on to do business. He used to play basketball with his father a lot as a kid before they grew more and more distant.

The basketball team wasn't exactly what he expected. For one thing, he thought there would be more people. There were probably two or three people at most practicing when he arrived. The ones that were there didn't seem all that serious either. He may not look it, but he did take pride in playing this game. The 'team' practiced a little and then left early. There was one guy who hadn't yet left though.

"I'm Kou Ichijo." The basketball player greeted. He seemed glad that Souji had taken an interest in the team. Guess the 'team' wasn't that much of a team. Another person in a track suit came up to them. He was Daisuke Nagase from the soccer team. Apparently Kou and Daisuke went far back, best friends most likely.

"You've played basketball before, right?" Kou asked.

"Used to play all the time." Souji replied.

"Can't wait to play you then!" Kou said smiling.

"Bring it. I'll take you on anytime!" The three of them shared a laugh. Souji felt a bond form between the three of them. Kou told Souji the days in which the basketball 'team' met up. Kou had to stay behind to polish the basketballs. Kou loved them balls.

…

…

…Yup.

…Souji decided to help him out with the activity along with Daisuke. They parted ways and went home. Dinner was normal and he ate it with just Nanako. He helped wash the dishes today.

School came and passed the next day. It was more of the same. After school, Souji went to the Velvet Room for a visit. Minato was up and about today, having recovered that morning.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Souji asked upon entering.

"Hey, guess I'm doing well now…" Minato seemed deep in thought. He was currently spinning his silver handgun between his fingers idly as he thought. "So what brings you here today? We going to the TV world again?"

"Not today, I'm here to check up on you and ask some questions, though I figured we should wait until we've gathered everyone. Since you don't seem to be doing anything, you want to go hang out or something?"

"Huh…? Oh right, explore the world, regain lost memories that kind of thing right?" Minato had a blank expression on his face.

"Well I figured there's really no hurry in regaining your memories back. I'm calling you out as a friend just to hang out."

"I see…" Minato seemed a little happier at that and agreed to go along.

"Where should we go?" Souji wondered aloud.

"Actually, can we go see your school?" This surprised Souji.

"You want to see my school? Why?" Souji asked curiously.

"Well, who knows what might happen, maybe I'll remember something by going to different places. That and well, in case of anything I'll know where to find you during school hours."

So they both went back to school, and Souji showed him around the places he knew. Nothing in particular happened though, but eventually they ran into Yosuke.

"Yo, Souji! Minato-san! How are you doing by the way?"

"Doing fine now. Was out for two days at most I think."

"Well let's just kick it today yeah?" Yosuke suggested and they both agreed. "Alright, let's go!"

They headed to the central shopping district to a place called Souzai Daigaku where Yosuke treated the both of them to steak croquettes. They all had a good time talking about random things. It was a good time until they overheard some gossipy ladies talk about the state of the Shopping District thanks to Junes. Though Yosuke waved it off as nothing important, Souji knew that the comments aggravated him. He felt like he understood Yosuke better, and felt the bond between them strengthen.

"Well enough about that stuff." Yosuke said changing the subject. "You guys want more?" They didn't refuse, it was pretty damn good.

"Hanamura-san, can I ask for a favor?" Minato asked politely.

"Just call me Yosuke. No need to be formal. Whatcha need?"

"Uh… Yosuke, could you have my phone activated? Junes has one of them phone service things yes?" Minato said handing Yosuke his cell phone.

"Sure, no problem. You better pay the phone bills though." Yosuke joked.

"Thanks a lot. We can also keep in contact as well once I have my phone back." Minato smiled gratefully.

They parted ways with Yosuke afterwards. Minato and Souji headed to the southern part of the Shopping District where Minato would return to the Velvet Room.

"Why the sudden phone request?" Souji asked as they walked.

"It's one of the possessions I had on me and well it was out of service so I figured I should get it working again. After finding my Evoker, I checked through my pockets and came up with a few things."

"Evoker?"

"It's that silver handgun; it's how I summon my Persona."

"An… interesting way of summoning Personas I guess, but explain more next time, won't you?" Minato nodded in response.

"Come on, I'll show you what else I found when rummaging through my pockets."

They sat down at a table nearby where Minato started pulling objects out of his pockets. It was a red armband, mp3 player with the headphones, a _very full_ wallet, a cell phone strap, a key to some kind of vehicle, pair of black leather gloves, a hat, an action figure, an animal collar, and a charred screw. How these all fit into his pockets Souji didn't know, although he was wearing his school uniform…

"I think these are important items to me. Otherwise they wouldn't have been carried over with me. I need to figure out what they mean to me…"

"A lot of these are interesting. It seems likely they were given to you. I mean, I'm not one to carry an animal collar around unless I'm into those kinds of things…which I'm not!" Souji finished hastily.

Sure you aren't.

"Hm… well I think I can get back from here. You should probably go since it's getting late. Thanks for inviting me along today though. It was refreshing." Minato gave Souji a wave and walked away. Souji arrived home for dinner which he ate with Nanako and then went to bed. Today had been a fun day.

At school the next day, his new friend Kou reminded him about practice, which Souji attended after school. They practiced for a couple of hours before it was only Souji and Kou left practicing. Kou invited Souji out to eat with him and Daisuke, which he accepted. He felt the bond between them strengthen.

The next day Souji hung out with Yosuke after school and they took the train to Okina City. Souji noticed that there were several police officers on patrol around the city. Could it possibly be because of the recent murders? Yosuke was kind of depressed about how he didn't really have friends. In a way, Souji was able to sympathize with him. After all he himself had many friends, but not really close friends. They might become his acquaintances at best after the year has ended. Yosuke was able to get out of depressed mood after awhile and they bought a few things before heading back. The bond between them grew.

* * *

Minato was beginning to become restless staying inside the Velvet Room where he looked through books all day searching for answers. He talked with Margaret and Igor, but there was little he could ask them before he had more questions that they could not answer. It was only noon or so meaning Souji was still in school. It had been two days since he last went out. He decided he would leave for awhile.

He ended up being hungry, so he stopped by a place called Aiya. The aroma made Minato mad with hunger and he went inside.

"What will you be having?" The man, Minato presumed to be the owner, behind the counter asked.

"Uh…"

'What do I want?' "I'll have some ramen to start off I suppose." A few moments later the man came back with his order.

"Wow this… is delicious!" Minato exclaimed. The few people who were there turned to stare. "Uh… I meant this is pleasantly exquisite…? …Food is good."

"Haha, I haven't heard such a comment in awhile." The owner looked very pleased.

"I haven't had ramen like this for… a long time…" 'When was the last time I had ramen?'

"Glad you appreciate. I was born here, but raised in China and when I came back I opened this restaurant. I learned to make ramen from this man, who makes a living on Tatsumi Port Island. His ramen was the best I've ever had! He was a little touchy about teaching me how he makes ramen, but he must've seen something in me because he taught me personally! My name is Tetsu Arai by the way."

"Minato Arisato." Minato went back to his ramen which he finished quickly. He ordered some of the other selections on the menu.

"These are all delicious, Tetsu-san!"

Tetsu laughed heartedly. "If you think those are good, then you should order beef bowls; those are my specialty!"

"I will next time for sure! I should go; I think I've ate too much in the last couple of hours. I need to walk it off. I'll come again!" Minato bid the kind chef a farewell.

He walked around the Shopping District where he eventually ran into Souji and Yosuke, who had just come back from Okina City. Yosuke handed Minato a box which contained his phone as well as a charger and everything. Minato was speechless. Yosuke had not only had his phone activated, but got him a new phone as well.

"Yosuke, I can't possibly accept this."

"Hey, no worries, you're part of the team. This is a gift from a comrade and friend. If you're worried about the money, don't worry, it's a cheap model, but it runs better than your older one." Yosuke said.

"That makes it sound like you were too cheap to get something better." Souji commented.

"S-Shut up!" The three of them laughed. "I had everything in your other phone transferred over and added our numbers to it, so you should be set."

Minato thanked him and they went their separate ways from there. Souji wanted to know if he wanted company. Minato politely declined saying he was just going to take a walk. He went as far as the Samegawa Floodplains where he felt the cool breeze and sat down on the grass. He took out his new phone and browsed through it. It was a normal phone, nothing at all special about it. He kind of preferred it that way. The thing he was most interested in looking through was the phonebook. It contained so many names that he did not recognize except for Souji's, Yosuke's, and Chie's. Akihiko Sanada, Kenji Tomochika, Chihiro Fushimi, Junpei Iori, and Yukari Takeba were only some of the names on the list. He was thinking that maybe if he called some of these numbers, he could possibly find some answers, but what could he say? He technically didn't even know these people. Selecting Yukari Takeba, he pressed call.

"Sorry, this number is no longer in service."

He selected Akihiko Sanada and pressed call.

"Sorry, this number is no longer in service."

He selected Kenji Tomochika and pressed call.

"Sorry, this number is no longer in service."

Sighing, he began to select one at random and hit call.

…

…

'Wait, it's ringing!' Minato thought nervously.

…

"Hello?" It was a woman's voice. Minato took a look at the name he called. Mitsuru Kirijo.

"Mitsuru Kirijo…?"

"…Who is this? How did you get this number?" She said, probably not recognizing the voice. Her tone was calm if somewhat suspicious.

"I…" What could Minato say? "Do you know… Minato Arisato?"

"…What… about him?" Her voice was still calm, but there was a slight edge to it.

"What if I said that he is still alive?" It was apparently the wrong thing to say.

"Don't call this number again or I will have you arrested!" Mitsuru said, obviously upset and hung up.

"Wait!" Sighing, Minato put his phone away. 'I really screwed that one up… What am I suppose to do… If that's how this Mitsuru person reacted, what would the others say, provided that their numbers were still in service?'

He decided that he would stop for today and went home or as close as it was to a home anyways. His mind was still in a buzz as he was no closer in finding more about his past.

* * *

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	8. Chapter 7

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 7**

Souji went to basketball practice after school the next day. After practice, the two of them stayed behind to clean up. Kou… polished the balls while Souji mopped the floor. It was a pretty dirty floor. Kou invited Souji to Aiya's with Daisuke tagging along, but then realized he couldn't. He apologized and left. Souji and Daisuke went to Aiya's where Daisuke hesitantly told Souji about Kou's situation. Kou came from a strict traditional family, where his grandmother's the head of the family. She doesn't approve of Kou playing basketball so it caused tension. Daisuke pleaded with Souji to help Kou out in some way, which Souji readily agreed to do. The bond between them strengthened.

The next day was a Sunday, which meant no school. Souji didn't have any plans, so he went out to find something to do. He decided to go to Junes to see if Yosuke was around. Social Link or not, Souji did like to hang out with Yosuke. Yosuke was indeed at Junes and agreed to hang out. They were talking about various things when two bitchy girls came up to Yosuke and complained about their work schedule. Yosuke didn't seem too happy listening to them whine, though he was polite and said he would do what he can. Souji was impressed with Yosuke's patience with these whiners. He felt the bond between them strengthen.

Souji got home that night and ate dinner with Nanako. That is quite amazing. They talked awhile, though Nanako still seemed too shy to actually converse with Souji despite his attempts to do so. He could tell he was at least making progress with her though. After dinner, he went to his room where he received a phone call from Chie.

"Hey are you busy tomorrow? Even if you are, free up sometime so we can go to the TV world!" Chie sounded agitated and she had every right to be. Souji was losing track of time since he had discovered new Social Links, as well as strengthening them.

"Sorry, we haven't been to the TV world for awhile. I know you're worried about Yukiko, but I promise I won't let you down." Souji said trying to reason with Chie. 'Some leader I turned out to be…'

"I know you're the one that sets the pace of the investigation, but I'm just too worried about Yukiko… Sorry to bother you, I'll trust your judgment. Bye!" Chie hung up.

The next day Souji joined drama club, where he met Yumi Ozawa, a second year. It was only his first day in drama club and she drilled him in acting for a few hours while everyone else left. "Ahhhh…" Souji appreciated the enthusiasm, but man… He felt a faint bond form between them.

'…Now I _have_ to go here if I want to strengthen my Social Link.' Souji thought. 'That sounded terrible. I can't believe I'm only doing this for the Social Links now…' They talked awhile longer before Souji had to leave for home.

The next day, Kou told him that he had to come to today's basketball practice. Apparently there was something going on. So, after school that day, they practiced awhile before the coach stopped them. He said he had finally gotten them a team manager. The new team manager introduced herself as Ai Ebihara and one look at her face told Souji that she did not want to be here.

Souji frowned at her though some of the other guys on the team had a grin on their faces. After the coach left, she clearly stated that she had no interest in helping out. She said she was only here so that she didn't flunk or something. Souji didn't like her at all, but mostly because he took pride in basketball.

After practice, Souji and Daisuke had finally gotten Kou to go out and eat at Aiya. They talked about various things as they ate and Kou told them a few things that happened back at home. Souji learned that Kou was adopted so that he could carry on the Ichijo name, though it didn't seem like he would have to anymore since the Ichijo family had a blood child that could inherit the name. The bond between them grew stronger.

It began to rain the next day. Souji looked outside the window worriedly and decided it was time they get moving and make progress. He felt really bad that he made them wait this long to rescue Yukiko. As a leader he had to think of his comrades. He gathered Yosuke and Chie and called Minato by phone.

"Hey long time no see!" Teddie greeted as the trio entered the TV world. "We going today?"

"Yeah, it's about time we do." Souji replied, and they all headed to castle. Strangely enough, there were no enemies present on the first floor, which Teddie decided to point out. Making their way to the second floor, Teddie warned them that there was a powerful presence behind the door. Behind the door they saw Yukiko, but it was the Yukiko that appeared on the Midnight Channel saying something about lacy unmentionables.

"Yukiko…?" Chie called.

"Yukiko-san! Are you alright?" Yosuke asked worriedly.

"**Oh my! Special guests? I wonder how they'll play into all this! Things are really heating up!"** 'Yukiko' chuckled evilly. **"I'm going back to hunt for my prince charming! Oh where could he be…? This place is so large, makes finding him so hard. Let's go further in shall we?"** With that, a giant sign flashed above her that displayed: "Princess Yukiko's Hunt for her Prince Charming!" and sound effects everywhere.

"You're not Yukiko, are you?" Chie said.

"**What are you talking about? I'm Yukiko… and Yukiko is me." **'Yukiko' chuckled again.

"No… don't tell me are you…?" Chie started.

"It's her Shadow, most definitely." Minato stated, pulling out his sword from… somewhere.

"Where's the real Yukiko!" Chie exclaimed.

Shadow Yukiko continued on as if she didn't hear Chie. **"Well I'm off again!" **And with that she ran away to find her prince. What? What happened to the epic battle? Good versus evil! Chie ran after her and the others followed. Oh well. As they chased Yukiko, they had to fight Shadows as they progressed. Minato had been a great asset to them all proving his mastery over Persona, although Chie had been a little freaked when she saw Minato shoot himself in the head. Souji was finally able to demonstrate his wild card ability against the Shadows by taking on a small group composed of different Shadow types. The others, excluding Minato, were surprised as Souji switched Personas one after the other. Yosuke even wanted to know if he could do it too. Hahahahaha NO! As they traveled up the floors they heard Yukiko's voice spouting nonsensical things and finally they reached a door on the fifth floor, which they entered. Yukiko was standing beside a large Shadow knight with a lance. It was very pointy.

"Whoa this one is strong! I've never seen anything like this before!" Teddie exclaimed, and the Shadow attacked.

The Shadow attacked Yosuke first with its Poison Skewer, which injured him quite badly.

"Yosuke, heal yourself!" Souji ordered.

"This is one is pretty strong!" Minato said to Souji. "It's about time I tell you more about my combat ability. Like you, I'm a wild card, thus I am capable of wielding multiple Personas. By summoning two compatible Personas, I'm able to use a fusion spell! Currently, I only have Orpheus and Apsaras available to use the fusion spell Cadenza! Alright? Good! Because here comes the knight!"

Souji switched to Ukobach and used Sukunda on the knight to reduce its accuracy and evasion. Even though Souji reduced the knight's accuracy, he was still hit. Yosuke, at least, was quick to heal him. Souji knew he had to do something about that strength. Chie was next to receive damage by the knight, but even so, she casted Tarukaja on Souji.

"Minato! I guess this is as good time as any to demonstrate your fusion spell thing!"

Minato nodded. He called both in his mind before pulling the trigger. "Orpheus! Apsaras!" Both Personas appeared and a melody was heard as they all felt recovered and strangely faster. "Cadenza is a healing technique and it also casts Masukukaja!" Minato explained as he ran around the knight, successfully avoiding the thrusts. "So you guys should have a better time dodging the Avenger Knight's attacks!"

True to Minato's word, they found themselves able to dodge more of the knight's attacks and spent less time healing. Every once in awhile someone would be knocked out, usually Yosuke or Chie. Minato got knocked out by taking the hit for Souji, who was grateful, when the lance came a little too close to him. They would repeat the process of reviving each other and healing so that they would be able to at least withstand a hit. It also helped that Minato had Orpheus use Tarunda on the knight to weaken its attack as well. Eventually, they were able to defeat the knight with Chie delivering the final blow with Bufu.

"Guess that finishes that one!" Chie was pumping her fist in the air in victory.

"Are we going to keep going?" Yosuke asked.

Souji looked around at his teammates. All of them seemed tired and Souji had to admit that he was slowly becoming fatigued himself. Souji decided that they would continue awhile longer simply because Chie still had the determination to continue and Souji did owe her for delaying the rescue mission for so long. He made sure that Yosuke and Minato were in fair condition before making his final decision. They eventually reached the eighth floor where Teddie confirmed the location of Shadow Yukiko. At this point, Souji thought it was best that they stop for today and resume another day. They were all dead tired and needed to recover their strength. They all agreed to meet again at Junes in two days.

School passed quickly the next day despite the fact that Souji, Yosuke, and Chie sluggishly went through the day feeling sore.

'Fricken Minato! He doesn't have to go to school; he gets to stay in the Velvet Room where he can relax.' Souji imagined a chibi Minato pointing and laughing at all of them. 'That… would be way out of character for him.'

After school, Souji went to drama club where they all practiced a few lines. They all had to perform it in front of the club. Souji, despite his sluggishness, was able to perform the required lines moderately well. Yumi, however, completely upstaged everyone with her acting skills and was chosen to be the female protagonist with Souji as her husband. They practiced, just the two of them, and Souji learned how passionate Yumi really was about acting. Souji felt the bond between them strengthen.

The next day it was still raining. Today was the day they were going to confront Yukiko's Shadow and rescue her. Souji was the first to arrive at Junes where he stared at the rain for awhile. Chie arrived next with a determined expression on her face. Minato came next with his hands in his pocket listening to his music, and then finally Yosuke.

"So today's the day…" Yosuke said when they arrived to the entrance of Yukiko's castle dungeon.

"Right, today's the day we rescue Yukiko!" Chie exclaimed.

"Then let's stop talking and go?" Minato said shrugging.

Behind the door on the eighth floor was where the Shadow was as confirmed by Teddie previously. The team took a deep breath and entered to see an extravagant throne like room. Shadow Yukiko was standing in the center over Yukiko who was on the floor.

"Yukiko!" Chie called out.

"I knew it! There's two of her!" Yosuke said. No way!

'I'm pretty sure we all established that awhile back.' Everyone excluding Yosuke thought.

"**Three princes are here to see me! My, it's getting crowded here. Why don't you and I go somewhere else…? A land far, far away, where no one knows me. If you're my prince, you'd take me there, won't you? Pretty please…?" **Shadow said in a low, pleading tone.

"Oooh, is this 'scoring a hot stud'!" Teddie said, excitement bubbling out of him. Everybody chose to ignore him.

"Three princes…? Wait, does that include me too…?" Chie said uncertainly.

"Duh! The third one's gotta be me!"

"I seriously doubt that…" Yosuke said, shooting down any thoughts Teddie had.

"And it can't be me since she doesn't know me in the slightest." Minato added.

"**Chie… yes, she's my prince…" **Shadow Yukiko confirmed. **"She always leads the way… She's a strong prince… At least, she WAS." **From there, Shadow Yukiko's tone had changed to one of disgust.** "When it comes down to it, Chie's not good enough! She can't take me away from here! She can't save me!" **Shadow Yukiko was sounding aggravated now. The other Yukiko got up.

"S-Stop…" She said weakly.

"**I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask to be born here! Manager training! To hell with it all!"**

"That's not true…"

"**I have no hope if I stay, and I have no courage to leave… So I sit on my ass hoping that someday my prince will come! That's how I really feel… isn't that right, me?"**

Yukiko was trembling with rage. "No don't say it!" Yosuke yelled out.

"No! You're not me!"

The Shadow chuckled maniacally and had an orgasmic breakdown or something before transforming. A giant chandelier fell to the ground with a large cage on top of it containing a bird that burst forth from the cage.

"We have to stop it! That girl is in danger!" Teddie said. With that, they rushed forward to meet the Shadow in battle.

"**I am a Shadow… The true self… Now my prince… Why don't we dance and make merry together?" **The Shadow chuckled evilly, and so the battle begun.

* * *

Silvermoon888: Sorry that it's fast, but I mean, I find it hard to write something that is going to be practically the same for the most part. As a person who writes, I probably should not to do it so often. I tend to paraphrase a lot of the things in the beginning and throughout the story such as Social Links and familiar events. Also, I don't mention much throughout the dungeon since it is just fighting Shadow after Shadow and running through the place. I rather focus on the boss battles and the like, but even then, my action sequences are lacking, I'll admit. It's probably one of the things that turn people away from this fic. Thanks for bringing it up.

Destinydeck: I don't know if your question was a question or you were thinking aloud, but in my experience, after a long time, people don't tend to recognize another's voice especially if they haven't kept in contact.

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	9. Chapter 8

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 8**

Souji opened up with Sukunda on the Shadow with Chie casting Tarukaja to increase her attack power. Minato cast Tarunda on the Shadow, which then used Double Fangs on Chie.

"Hey, you alright there?" Yosuke asked while casting Dia to heal her.

"Fine, thanks!"

"Izanagi! Rakunda!" Souji called out as his Persona lowered the enemy's defenses. Minato gave Souji a look and they both switched to Archangel.

"Double Fangs!" They both called out. Yosuke was healing everyone, who needed it and casted Sukukaja on them all individually. The Shadow summoned a Charming Prince which casted Diarama to heal the Shadow.

"Ugh, that thing is messing up our hard work. Is it alright if I take care of it?" Minato asked Souji who nodded. Minato switched to Apsaras who cast Bufu on to the Charming Prince, which knocked it down. Minato then attacked it with his sword. The Charming Prince got up and cast Sukukaja on itself.

Souji used Double Fangs on it again and Chie used Skull Cracker. Shadow Yukiko eventually used Burn to Ashes which spread across the field inflicting fire damage to all of them. Major burns. Minato and Chie both fell, having been knocked down by their weaknesses while the others were able to dodge. Souji had Archangel cast Media, and the battle continued. At some point, the Shadow completely knocked out Yosuke with its Shivering Rondo, which was an attack where the Shadow used its body to crash into any that stood near it. Minato, at that point, had finally finished the Charming Prince off.

"Guys, we need to finish the main Shadow quickly otherwise it may summon another one!" He held the evoker to his head again. "Cadenza!" With the boost provided from Minato's spell, they were able to defeat the Shadow with Yosuke delivering the final blow. The Shadow fell and reverted back. The group ran towards Yukiko, who had regained consciousness.

"Yukiko, are you hurt?" Chie asked concerned. Yukiko only stared at her Shadow self.

"We understand. You're not the only one like that Yukiko-san. Everyone has something they can't show to other people, or don't want to admit to themselves…" Yosuke said.

"Yukiko… I'm sorry. I was so self-centered… that I never understood what you were going through. I'm your friend and I still… I'm sorry…" Chie had started to cry. "You had everything that I didn't. That made me jealous and I was so lonely…"

"Chie… I never saw the real you either… I was too busy trying to find an easy way out." Yukiko walked towards her Shadow who started silently. "You're right; those feelings are a part of me too. I understand now… You're me." Yukiko said firmly. Shadow Yukiko faded and a Persona replaced it before retreating back into Yukiko.

"Yuki-" Souji started.

"Not now! This is a tender moment here!" Yosuke interrupted.

…

…

"…Yukiko has faced her other self…She has obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona Konohana Sakuya!"

"And you kind of ruined it…" Yosuke groaned. They had a good laugh until Yukiko fell in exhaustion. "Are you okay?"

"Yes… I'm just a little tired. You all came to rescue me…?"

"Haha, of course!" Chie smiled. It was a heartwarming event.

"So, who threw you in here?" Teddie asked. Well, the moment wasn't going to last anyways.

"Huh…? Who are you? Rather… what are you?" Yukiko said, looking at Teddie.

"I'm Teddie!"

…

…

Yeah…

"So, who threw you in?" Teddie repeated.

Yukiko thought about it but said, "I don't know… I think… someone called my name, but my memory's a blur. I can't remember who it was. I'm sorry, um… Teddie."

Teddie seem down about that, but at least they knew for sure someone was deliberately throwing people in here. They proceeded to leave, which saddened Teddie for some reason. Yukiko promised that she would come back and petted him. Teddie was very happy and made a rawr noise…

Outside in the real world, the group sat down at a Junes' table. Chie worriedly asked Yukiko over and over again if she was alright.

"So, do you know how you got in there?" Souji asked.

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember anything…" Yukiko replied.

"Well no worries, you're safe and that's more than enough." Chie said relieved. "I'm going to take Yukiko back home. She's exhausted." With that, both of them left leaving Souji, Yosuke, and Minato.

"We'll talk about all this some more once she gets her strength back." Yosuke said. The other two nodded.

"Minato, we'll discuss your situation as well, alright?" Souji asked.

"Of course, I was wondering when I would have to explain myself. I'm sure all of you have some questions, which I'll try to answer to the best of my ability."

They all returned home for the night. As Souji ate dinner and watched TV, Nanako gave a happy cry when she heard her dad come home. He didn't come home alone though. The detective guy, Adachi, came home with Dojima. Nanako shyly greeted him. Adachi told Souji that they had found Yukiko Amagi safe and sound. If they only knew… Dojima punched Adachi for blabbing too much about the case. He looked like he was in pain, so he let Adachi be. They all had dinner which was a pretty lively event with Adachi around.

Later in the evening, after Adachi went home, the three of them sat down to watch the news. It was more about some of the murders in Okina City and apparently the fog was going to settle in the next day. They had really cut it close… Nanako changed the channel which caused Dojima to reprimand her slightly. "Every day is great at your Junes!" Souji hadn't heard that one in awhile. Golden Week was coming up, which Nanako was quick to point out.

"Do you want to go somewhere for the long holiday?" Dojima asked.

"We can go somewhere!" Nanako was shocked. Well, can't blame her.

"How about it? Got any plans yet?" Dojima directed his question towards Souji this time.

"Nope, nothing immediate." Souji replied.

"Then let's all go somewhere together! Junes!" Nanako was obviously overjoyed, the most Souji has seen since his stay here, which was nice.

"You're sure you want to go to Junes? We can go there anytime…"

'You sure about that?' Souji thought.

They all turned in for the night. Souji went to bed, double checking the Midnight Channel to make sure no one appeared. No one did which made him relieved, so he fell asleep free from worry.

The next day Souji walked to school. He saw Yukiko standing by the front gates and she noticed him so he went over to talk to her.

"Oh… Good morning."

"How are you doing?" Souji asked.

"Um… yes, I'm better now. I'll be coming to school again." She looked sad all of a sudden. "I caused everyone some real trouble. I'm sorry… no… I meant to say…thank you." Yukiko talked some more about how things were. Her work at the inn seemed to have gotten better for her.

"Yukiko!" A voice called out.

"Oh, it's Chie!"

"You seem back to your usual self. Go, I'll talk with you again later." Souji said, giving Yukiko a warm smile and waving goodbye. Yukiko smiled back and walked forward to meet Chie.

School began as usual and ended as usual. After school, they all met on the school roof. Souji had already called Minato earlier so he arrived with the rest of them. Yukiko was the last to arrive having brought food for Chie and herself. Yosuke and Souji looked at the food longingly.

"Good thing I ate before coming here eh?" Minato said smiling.

"You jerk…" Souji and Yosuke said at the same time. They had a laugh.

"Um…" Yukiko started staring at Minato.

"Oh sorry. I haven't introduced myself to you yet miss. My name is Minato Arisato and I am delighted to make your acquaintance." Minato said bowing. Yukiko blushed at his politeness.

'He sounded like Igor for a sec there… He's been spending too much time in the Velvet Room…' Souji thought.

"Oh? Putting the moves on Yukiko-san, are you Minato?" Chie gave Yosuke a kick. "Ow…" Yosuke was in pain, better leave him be.

"I'm sure you know by now… I'm Yukiko Amagi." Yukiko introduced herself shyly.

"So… why are we here? Oh yeah, we were going to ask Yukiko what happened." Chie said.

"Yukiko-san, I hate to bring this up with you again when you would rather not think about it, but I need to ask you again. Did you recall anything about when you got kidnapped?"

Yukiko stared at the ground in concentration. "No… I thought I might remember something if I let it sit for awhile, but as time passed, it only got hazier. I think… the doorbell rang at the entrance… and someone called for me. When I woke up after that, I was already in the castle."

"Does this mean that her visitor was the culprit?" Chie asked.

"I don't know… If that's true, that's one daring criminal. What kind of killer rings the doorbell?" Yosuke pondered this for awhile.

"The police are probably looking for witnesses or whatever they can, aren't they? I doubt we can expect much from them though." Minato said.

"I wonder why whoever it is would do something like this."

"We won't know until we confront them ourselves, but we can be sure that someone is deliberately throwing someone into that place."

"It's definitely murder, or at least in your case Yukiko-san, attempted murder." Souji said, adding his two cents in. "We'll get him! Could you lend us a hand Yukiko-san?"

Yukiko nodded determinedly.

"I'm helping out too! I can't believe someone would throw people in like that. I'm going to sock whoever's doing this!" Chie said, pumping her fist in the air.

"Then it's agreed, we are all going to do our best to capture this criminal and prevent him from throwing anyone else in right?" Minato said.

Everyone agreed wholeheartedly, and Souji felt their group bond strengthen.

"Oh, but how are we going to find them? We don't have a single lead." Chie realized.

"If we had an idea of who might be targeted next, wouldn't we have an advantage over the killer?"

"So we outsmart them huh…? Yeah that might work!" Yosuke agreed. "Let's find out what ties the victim together. First we have Mayumi Yamano, next Saki Konishi…" Yosuke paused and let the name linger for a bit before continuing. "Third was Yukiko Amagi. What do they all have in common…?"

"They all live in Inaba." Souji pointed out.

"They have all been female as well. At least, so far anyways…" Minato added.

"How dare he target females? Now that is unforgivable! This culprit's gotta be some kind of pervert…! Chie was clearly offended.

"Also the second and third victims had some kind of connection to the first, Mayumi Yamano." Yosuke pointed out.

"So does that mean females in Inaba who have some kind of connection to Ms. Yamano are being targeted?" Yukiko asked.

"We can assume that for now. Also… the Midnight Channel. It's hard to tell, but what's important is that people appear on there before they are kidnapped. We still don't know why that happens, but we'll have to rely on that for now."

"Um… What's this Midnight Channel exactly?" Minato asked confused.

"Huh…? You don't know?" Everyone looked at Minato. "I thought since you came with us to the TV world, you knew what was going on… well actually you said you were there to 'assist Souji' and 'acquire your lost memories'. I think the time is now for you to tell us a little about yourself."

Everybody looked at Minato with a curious look on their faces, eager to learn more about the blue-haired man that called himself Minato.

Minato took a deep breath. "…Very well."

* * *

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	10. Looking Back: An Interlude 2

Just another one of these random flashbacks. Again, not a necessary read.

* * *

**A Promise to Keep**

**January**

**Seven days before the Promise Day**

'The world seems at peace right now…'

This idle thought belonged to none other than Minato Arisato. In reality, he knew this was not the case. In fact it seemed more or less the opposite. With Strega's influence across Port Island, it seemed more like the world was on the brink of insanity.

Minato was on the roof laying on one of the many benches with his hands behind his head, his music on, and staring up at the peaceful sky.

'That cloud looks like Koromaru!' Minato thought with amusement.

As soon as class let out for lunch, Minato would always find himself on the roof and it became a habit of sorts throughout the year. His friends wouldn't question his actions as he had done odder things during battle and sometimes he would find himself in the company of one of them. Today, however, was not one of those days and so he spent it alone.

The past January was not exactly happy times for SEES. Knowing when the impending doom was coming stressed everyone including Minato. As the field leader he was the one to make the decisions during battle. With the coming of Nyx, one mistake on his part could doom all of humanity, yet as stressed as he was, he never showed any signs of it.

The only other SEES member who didn't seem fazed was Aigis. Whether it was because she was a machine that expresses little emotion, or perhaps she hid it as well as Minato did. Honestly, Minato thought it was the latter. Lately, however, Aigis had been hanging out with Minato after school, constantly asking if he wanted to walk home together. In a way, Minato believed this was a sign that Aigis was indeed worried and wished to seek comfort with another person; not that he minded hanging out with her. He felt connected with her as if they both were seeking their answers to life. It made him feel comfortable too.

Minato heard the door open as someone entered. He paid no attention to it however and continued to look onwards, but the person sat right beside him. Turning slightly, he saw that it was Aigis.

"You're always up here, aren't you?" She said.

"Hello to you too." Minato said with a small smile.

"I hope you don't mind me being up here." Aigis said, shifting her eyes toward the sky.

"Not at all. It has been awhile since you were here with me." Minato replied. It was silent for awhile.

"Is there a reason you always lie up here on the roof?"

"It's just a habit I've picked up." There was silence for a few moments before Minato continued. "Have you ever looked at the sky for long periods of time? No matter what, it always seems that all my worries would drift away with the passing clouds…"

She was silent for awhile before saying, "For me, I like to watch the ocean. I can see the city and the ocean from up here too…"

"That's true, isn't it?" Minato chuckled a bit. "You were doing the same thing when we first met in Yakushima. You know, you've come a long way since that day. Your mannerism, your tone, and your expression seem so much more human-like." As Minato was saying this a faint smile appeared on Aigis' face. "And of course," Minato continued, "You look cute in that uniform."

Aigis' eyes widened a bit and she turned away, but she still kept her smile. "Minato-san! Don't say things like that out of nowhere."

Minato laughed as he sat up. "I never said it before when you first wore it, did I? It's a little late, but it's a compliment."

"Still aren't comments like that wasted on someone like me? I'm not human like Yukari-san and the others…" Aigis turned back to look at Minato and saw a frown on his face.

"Aigis, you need to stop using the excuse that you are a machine to demean yourself like this. As long as you keep your heart and the hearts of your friends close by you'll always be human to me." Minato said with a hint of anger. Aigis seemed to understand this, but she still had a sad look about her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scold you like this, but please understand you have friends who will stand by your side just as you stand by ours. I'm not going to leave you either. I promise you that…" As Minato said this, he felt a sense of uncertainty lingering.

Aigis brightened up at that and gave Minato a smile. The bell rang and Minato got up and offered his hand out to Aigis, who hesitantly took it. Minato saw she was slightly embarrassed and he felt a warm feeling come over him when she took his hand; however it faded when he let go.

"Come on, let's get back to class." Minato said, beginning to walk towards the exit. As Minato walked towards the exit, he suddenly felt someone's arms wrap around his body from behind.

Minato didn't turn around, but that didn't stop him from asking. "Aigis… What's wrong? This seems a little out of character for you." Minato paused for a bit. "Are you… worried about the final outcome of the battle?" He finished softly.

"…You promised right? I feel like you're going to leave everyone behind. Please…don't go anywhere. I always want to be by your side and protect you, Minato-san…"

Minato turned around and saw himself facing a pair of saddened cerulean eyes. The trust and devotion that her eyes showed, the innocence within them, Minato could never intentionally lie to her. He wrapped his arms around her in an embrace and held her tightly. She gave out a sigh of relief. For that moment, he let all his worries go, all thoughts of Shadows and Nyx ceased, and the thought of the end became nonexistent. It was just the blue-haired leader and his dear friend.

"I'll keep that promise." Minato whispered to her and the feeling of uncertainty lingered again. 'I won't forget! I want to keep that promise for your sake!' Minato resolved.

* * *

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	11. Chapter 9

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 9**

"…I still haven't remembered much. When I was a child, my parents died in an accident of some sort. From then on however, I experienced a strange phenomenon called the Dark Hour." Minato began.

"The Dark Hour?" Everybody asked.

"It's… a time period that takes place at midnight in Japan. During this time, the moon turns an eerie green color, ordinary people transform into coffins, electronics fail, and the Shadows come out." Minato continued.

"Wait, Shadows can enter this world too?" Yosuke said, voicing everybody's shock.

"It's true, during the Dark Hour; Shadows become active, attacking the humans who are not in a coffin."

"If this is true, how is it none of us remembers this?" Souji asked this time.

"Like I said, ordinary people turn into coffins during this time, having no recollection of the Dark Hour. Those that were active during the Dark Hour are either dead, in an asylum, or have moved on. Of course there were those who fought the Shadows. You guys aren't the only Persona users out there. I am a testament to that." Minato said, pulling out his Evoker and twirled it in his hands. Minato's eyes tracked Yukiko's fixated gaze upon his silver handgun.

"This is an Evoker. It is my means of summoning Persona whether it is in the other world… or this world." Everybody looked shocked again. "It's not a real gun, of course. I was part of a group that fought Shadows using these." As if to make his point, he pointed the gun to his head and pulled the trigger, summoning Orpheus. He then pulled out the red armband that Souji had seen the other day. Taking a good look at it, Souji saw that it also had the abbreviation SEES on it just like with his Evoker. "SEES, the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, was that group. We were dedicated to fighting Shadows during the Dark Hour. The events that took place, I still cannot remember… There's a large gap between memories, I don't remember anyone or where I was when it happened."

Everyone pondered the information they had just learned trying to connect what they could. Yukiko and Chie had stopped eating their meals in order to listen to such a tale. Yosuke was deep in thought and Souji, he was silent.

"…One other thing… I don't believe I'm human… not anymore at least." Minato said, earning a gasp from the investigation team.

"Minato, are you sure you want to tell them this?" Souji asked, concerned. "This is really getting personal."

"Its fine, I don't have much to lose. If we're going to be a team, I'm going have to show a bit of my true self as well." Minato gave him a smile. "I was dead once, due to a sacrifice I made for humanity, but I was revived because of someone. My life force was used in the sacrifice, and when I was brought back most of my life force was retrieved, but due to my incomplete life force, I will not age…in fact this is how I looked back then when I still went to school."

"Souji-kun, you knew this?" Yukiko asked and Souji nodded. Yukiko turned back to Minato. "…You helped rescue me, Minato-kun. I don't think it matters whether you're fully human or not."

"She's right; I have to thank you too. You didn't even know her and yet you helped us rescue Yukiko, and I'm happy about that." Chie said, giving Minato a bright smile.

"I agree, Teddie isn't human either, you know? We promised him we would help; I think you can trust us to keep your secret and help you out too!" Yosuke said.

"You know where I stand. I knew about this before, and I haven't turned my back on you. You say you're not human, but if you keep that human heart and your friends close by, you'll always be human." Souji said.

"!" Something about what Souji said caused Minato to freeze.

"What… What did… you say…?" Minato asked, in shock.

"Minato-kun, are you alright…?" Chie asked worriedly.

"What did you say Souji…?" Minato asked again, more calmly.

"You know where I stand?"

"No, not that. After that."

"Uh… You say you're not human, but if you keep that human heart and your friends close by, you'll always be human?"

"_As long as you keep your heart and the hearts of your friends close by you'll always be human to me."_

Something clicked inside Minato's head, but he couldn't understand it. It felt familiar, like he had a sense of déjà vu.

"I think I'm going to head back home first…" Minato said blankly. "I'll see you guys around…"

As Minato walked back, he pondered a few things. Was it the right thing to tell the investigation team his secrets? They were understood and he was grateful, but there was something about what Souji said…

"Welcome…"

"Hm… good day." Minato greeted Igor.

"You seem to be troubled…" A feminine voice called out.

"Huh…? It's… I can't recall your name…" Minato said, staring at the new person sitting next to Margret, who held her hand.

"Elizabeth, remember yet?"

"Elizabeth… you're… the one who rescued me?"

"Indeed, she has been unconscious for some time now, however she suddenly woke up. Margret was the first to see her awaken having been by her side for some time now." Igor stated.

"I'm sure you have many questions, so do ask them." Elizabeth said.

"Um… how are you?"

"You are concerned about my welfare? You are an intriguing one…" She giggled slightly. "No worries. Whatever results as a consequence from my actions, I brought them upon myself. Please sit." Minato sat on a couch opposite of her with a small table in between them and Igor was at his own desk looking over the discussion.

"…Why? Why did you… save me?" Minato asked. "What was the reason for giving me a second chance at life? I followed my destiny to the end didn't I…? I made the choice to sacrifice myself. I took responsibility for my actions! So why…?" Minato finished raising his voice a little.

"I wanted to…"

"You… wanted to? I didn't ask for this! It's true I might have wanted a second chance, but to have it this way? I don't know anything or anyone, even you, my rescuer!" He had a hint of anger in his voice.

"I wanted to because you were important to me… and not only to me, your friends too! They found it hard to move on without you by their side and because of it, they had to face another ordeal just so they could understand what you did for them and all of humanity!"

Minato bit his lip and stayed silent. That Mitsuru person… was upset after hearing his name because she had finally been able to move on. To bring up such a memory after she had moved on, was painful.

"Even if you do not remember it, you spent much time with me when I asked. Taking the time to show me around different places and teaching me human customs. My fascination went from learning about the world, to learning more about you, and before I knew it… I had fallen in love with you. But there was one other who loved you more then I could. I had the pleasure of talking with her whenever she came here. I realized you made more of an impact on her life than mine and I decided that I wanted to rescue you for her sake as well."

"Did you… did you really feel that strongly?" Minato murmured, completely unable to say anything else.

"I did, and the only way to accomplish it was to give up a part of myself in order to maintain the seal. I gave up what power I had, meaning…"

"You're… human." Minato finished.

"More or less, but I'm fine with that. The only thing I regret is that I… can no longer assist you as I used to." Elizabeth placed a large book on the table in front of Minato. "This… is your Persona Compendium where all the Personas you have ever collected have been stored. I wish for you to hold on to this since only you and I are ever allowed to use it. With my current state, I can no longer use this, thus you are the sole owner of the Compendium."

"Is this true…?" Minato asked wide-eyed to Igor and Margret.

"It's true; the contents of my Compendium belong to me and Souji-san, however, unlike you he is only a guest of the Velvet Room, while you are both. He will only attain such a status should he complete his journey and come again to the Velvet Room. Only then will I decide if he is worthy of wielding his Persona Compendium." Margaret explained.

"You are indeed the most unique guest I have ever had!" Igor chuckled happily, though it sounded somewhat maniacal. "My services are always available to you should you ever need them. The Compendium may hold all your Personas, but you are only just beginning to understand your own nature. Once you have learned only then will you be able to fully use the Compendium in combat."

"So I still have to shoot myself?"

"Indeed."

"Damn… how am I supposed to carry this?"

"You hold it of course!" Elizabeth said amusingly.

"Everywhere I go? But that gets tiresome…" Minato complained a little, but he was in high spirits.

"Well you can't fully use it yet, so bring it with you only when you think you'll need it. The Compendium, unlike your Evoker, grants you tremendous power when summoning Personas. Their abilities will be much more potent. This however, will exhaust you if you use it strenuously."

"Thank you… Elizabeth. I only wish I could repay you, but I don't know what I can do…"

"You being here is enough, I'm just glad to have you back among the living."

"One other thing… who is this other person you were talking about?"

"You will meet again someday, I'm sure of it. Look forward to it. I'm sure she will do the same." Minato pondered it a bit before letting the matter go.

"How about we go out to eat sometime? I know a great place!" Minato said smiling. He had been smiling a lot lately compared to before.

* * *

A couple days later it was raining, but Minato left to go to Aiya's for lunch anyways. He was hungry like you wouldn't believe it. Besides it had been awhile.

"Tetsu-san, how are you?"

"Ah… Minato-kun, glad to see you're back. Don't you have school or something? Come to think of it, you came here last time when school is supposed to be in session."

"Haha… I don't go to school anymore." The chef gave him a skeptical look. "No, I didn't drop out or anything; I technically finished school awhile back."

"And yet you still wear a school uniform?"

"It's pretty comfortable." Minato replied.

"Well, you don't seem to be a bad kid so I believe you. So what will it be today?" Minato ate a few dishes chatting about various things with the owner while he ate. He didn't know how long he stayed, but Souji walked in and was surprised to find Minato sitting at one of the stools.

"Hey." Souji greeted. "You here for the Mega Beef Bowl challenge?"

"The what?" Minato was intrigued.

"Oh that's right! You see, if you can complete the challenge then the beef bowl is free." Tetsu said, holding a flyer up to Minato's face. "Wanna try?"

"I'll have a go at it!" Souji said, determined.

"I'll do it next time. I doubt I'll be able to finish it after eating several other dishes already. They were all delicious by the way, Tetsu-san."

Tetsu brought out a large bowl with huge amounts of meat in it. It was simply monstrous in quantity. Souji dug into it with vigor and ate and ate and ate… After about thirty minutes Souji was still eating, though he had slowed down tremendously. It seemed that he had barely scratched the surface. He could not see the rice at all! He had to dig it up! Sad to say, but he failed. Minato was laughing with Tetsu at Souji's attempt. Well, there was always next time. The wild cards parted ways from Aiya.

Back home the Dojima residence received a phone call. Nanako went to pick it up. It was Dojima. After talking with Nanako for a bit, she handed the phone to Souji. She looked really sad and ran out of the room.

"Sorry, I'm going to be late tonight. Make sure to lock up before you go to sleep. About that time off… one of the younger guys got sick, and well the case he was handling… seems like I'm the only one that can take over for him." Dojima sounded regretful.

"Poor Nanako-chan… She was looking forward to it too."

"…Sorry to spring this on you all of a sudden. How's… how's she holding up?"

"She was really sad, she was practically crying…"

"…Would you mind comforting her for me?"

"I was going to do it regardless. Don't worry I'll figure something out."

"…Thanks. Alright see you then." Dojima hung up.

Souji went to Nanako's room. "Hey Nanako-chan, are you alright?"

"…Fine." Souji heard her mumble from her room.

"Sorry, that your dad can't make the trip with us. I know you were looking forward to it, but understand that he does have work.

"…He always works." Nanako mumbled.

"At least he comes home as often as he can though. I can't say the same for my parents though. I probably see them once or twice a year; at least Uncle Dojima comes home every few nights. Well, don't worry; I have a plan for tomorrow." Mumbling that last part under his breath he walked away.

Souji left for his room, where he called Chie to make plans.

* * *

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	12. Chapter 10

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 10**

The next day was a bright day and there was no school. Souji came downstairs where Nanako was sitting, watching TV as usual.

"Good morning…" She mumbled. The door bell rang.

"Oh? Who could that be?" Souji said in his most innocent voice. They both went to the door where Chie greeted them.

"Hey you're home!" It was part of the plan. She had told Yosuke and the others as well. "Hey if you're free today, wanna go somewhere? Yukiko's going too."

"Oh really now? That sounds like fun!" Souji said in his innocent voice.

"How 'bout you Nanako-chan? Wanna come?"

"Um…" Nanako looked surprised.

'Yes I did well!' Souji thought. "Yeah come with us! It'll be fun!" Souji said.

"Huh? I-I can come?" Nanako asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah of course you can!" They both said. Nanako was overjoyed. They all went to Junes where they met with Yukiko part ways as planned. They sat down at a table. Yosuke innocently strolled up to them.

"Hey guys, I'm still working here, but I think I can take a small break." Yosuke promptly sat down. They made a bit of small talk when Minato innocently strolled up.

"What are all you guys doing here?" Had to give it to Minato, he makes the best facial expression when the situation called for it.

"Oh, we just decided to hang out today at Junes. What are you doing here, Minato-kun?" Chie asked.

"Oh, I just needed to shop for some new clothes. The uniform is a comfortable wear, but I need more everyday clothes too." He sat down with them.

"So… why did you bring Nanako-chan to a place like this on Golden Week?" Yosuke asked, beginning another conversation.

"Where else is there to go?" Chie replied.

"I love Junes! Nanako said happily. Her mood became sullen as she continued, "But we were supposed to go on a real trip somewhere… We were going to make boxed lunches…"

"Wow! You can make boxed lunches, Nanako-chan?" Yukiko said, continuing the conversation. She shook her head and looked at Souji.

"Oh, so you're the family cook? Pretty impressive, 'big bro'!" Chie giggled.

'Damn it Chie, that's not part of the plan!' Souji thought, getting slightly embarrassed.

Nanako looked at Souji with admiration in her eyes. "Big… bro." She murmured.

"Whoa you can cook? Well you seem pretty great with your han-" Yosuke started.

"Don't say it like that!" Minato said, clamping a hand over Yosuke's mouth. "Haha… nothing…" Minato finished awkwardly.

"I-I'm a pretty good cook too, you know… probably." Chie mumbled the last part under her breath. "If you asked, I would've whipped up some boxed lunches as easy as pie! Yeah…"

"Uh… lemme think about-NO." Yosuke crossed his arms across his chest.

"What makes you think I can't cook! Let's have a cook-off and see for ourselves!"

"Hey, I never said I cooked, but I have this weird feeling I would win anyways."

Yukiko began to giggle. "I can understand that."

"Yukiko!"

"Nanako-chan can be our judge." Yosuke continued. "We'll make something that'll rank up there with your mom's cooking." As Yosuke said this the jovial mood suddenly changed.

"…I don't have a mom. She died in an accident." Nanako looked sad.

"Nice Yosuke, brilliant." Minato whispered.

"Um… sorry, I… didn't know."

"It's okay." Nanako smiled. "Even if I don't have a mom, I have Dad with me and… I have a brother now, too!" She looked embarrassed. "And I'm having a lot of fun today! I love Junes!"

"We'll play with you anytime you want, Nanako-chan!" Chie said.

"Yeah, we should hang out more often." Yukiko agreed.

"C'mon, Nanako-chan. Let's go get a soda!" Yosuke suggested. Nanako got up and followed Yosuke.

"She's a strong kid." Minato said as he watched the two of them walk away.

"Yeah… makes me feel like I'm the kid here. I'm going to go get something for Nanako-chan too!" Chie said before getting up and following Yosuke and Nanako. Yukiko followed as well.

"Ha, you did well today, Souji. Plan was a success it seems. I'm a little envious of your relationship with Nanako-chan." Minato said with a smile, also getting up and following the rest before Souji could reply. Nanako ran back to the table.

"Do you want something too?" Nanako smiled brightly.

Souji nodded. He felt a faint bond form between him and Nanako. 'Seems like she really opened up today.'

"Wanna share some takoyaki?"

"Yeah let's go!"

The group seemed to enjoy themselves even more with Nanako around. They should definitely do this again sometime.

* * *

There was still no school, so Souji left home, bidding Nanako a goodbye. He went to the Shopping District where he saw Chie hanging in front of Daidara's weap- metal works shop. She didn't notice him, so he approached her.

"Hello." Souji greeted. "Thanks for helping out yesterday and everything. I appreciate the help; I really do, especially since it worked out pretty well."

"Of course, I just had to help after you explained everything. So if you're not doing anything… you want to hang out?"

"Sure." Chie took Souji to the Samegawa River. She seemed excited about something and Souji questioned her exuberant mood.

"It's for training of course. I'd do it at home, but I might break something or another… I think I already did…" Chie mumbled. "Still it's time to train!"

Souji agreed, of course though he would regret it later. Chie had them train in a bunch of different areas to develop their strength. It was crazy… still, he felt stronger by the end. The bond between them strengthened.

* * *

Souji stopped by the shrine the next day because he wanted to explore the small rural town. He had heard about the shrine from the many rumors that went around the school.

The shrine had an ominous feel to it and he felt like someone or something was watching him. A fox with an apron thing jumped down from…somewhere in front of Souji. It gave Souji a plaque.

"Please help Grandpa's legs get better. Signed Kieta." Souji read aloud. "Why did you give this to me? Hm… There's something on the back of it." Souji pulled a leaf from it. The fox ran away when she heard someone approach. It was an old man.

"Oh, it's not every day you see young'uns around here. Nobody lives at the shrine."

'Really? I beg to differ, sir.' Souji thought to himself.

"I come by to tidy things once in awhile, but lately my legs have been achy, so I just can't do it. I've been trying to get this place up to snuff, but there just isn't enough money going around." The old man went on and on.

"…visit Kieta anymore. He's my grandson, y'know."

'No I don't know… Wait could this Kieta and the one on the plaque be the same?'

"That leaf…! That's it!" He told Souji that the leaf had some special properties and stuff. In the end Souji gave him the leaf. It made him as hyper as a child. He paid the shrine and left in a flash. Crazy leaf…

The fox came out again looking thankful for the assistance. A faint bond formed between Souji and the fox.

'Now that is one interesting Social Link… Seems the fox wants me to come back and help it out again.'

As Souji walked home, he stopped when he saw an old lady struggling with some boxes. The shop was this place called Marukyu Tofu, which probably sells tofu probably judging by the name. Well, he helped an old man earlier so he might as well help an old lady now. He wordlessly walked over and helped carry some of the boxes over to the shelf. Souji noted that there were no other workers around.

"Thank you young man for helping out a poor old lady like me." The owner said once they had finished.

"It was no problem; you don't have any other workers around here?" Souji asked.

"Unfortunately no, young people these days can't be bothered working here of all places. It's just tofu here after all."

"I see… then you wouldn't mind a volunteer then, would you?"

"Volunteer?"

"I'll stop by whenever I have time. Souji Seta, by the way."

"Well if you insist. Just call me Michi. You helped me today so please take some of this tofu home with you." She said as she handed him a bag. They bid farewell.

Souji didn't know what possessed him to want to volunteer himself, but it felt familiar to him. The feeling to help others because he was able to and not because of destiny or some crap like that, but of his own will. When he had learned of Social Links, he felt fine since it just meant making friends. As he strengthened his bonds with others however, he began to realize he liked the feeling of receiving power this way. He was disgusted with himself honestly. When he was 'home' he never had to worry that he was just using his friends, he just did what he could, helped out wherever he can, and just lived his life independently without his parents for the most part.

Souji went home that night and listened to the news with Nanako. Dojima came home that night carrying a bag.

"I'm sorry Nanako. I broke my promise to you again…" Dojima said regretfully.

"Oh, um, my big bro and his friends played with me instead."

"I see… Thanks." Dojima gave Souji a grateful smile.

"Of course…" Souji said smiling. Nanako had noticed that the bag her father carried was a Junes bag. Dojima had bought something for Nanako and Souji. Nanako received a t-shirt while Souji received a swimsuit. They both thanked him. Souji went to his room to study before going to sleep.

* * *

"I haven't heard anything recently. Doesn't seem like anything has happened lately. Do you think Yukiko could've been the last of the victims?" Yosuke asked. They were at school again the next day after their holidays. They had all gathered around Souji's desk.

"I doubt this is over." Souji replied.

"We shouldn't relax as long as the culprit remains at large." Yukiko added.

"I wonder if someone will show up on the Midnight Channel if it rains again." Yosuke was worried about that.

"If someone shows up on the Midnight Channel, we'll deal with it." Chie said. "Midterms are coming up soon you know."

"Ugh, you had to bring that up… I don't wanna think about it." They talked awhile about how they were going to do poorly on the exams. Yosuke mentioned something about private lessons which Yukiko took the wrong way and slapped him. She apologized when Yosuke explained things. When Yosuke and Chie started bickering about small issues, it was times like these Souji felt normal. After school, he went to see the fox again. She had another request which Souji would get around to.

"Yo, Souji-kun!" It was Chie. She wanted to hang out again today. They ended up training again. Souji couldn't deny the dedication she had to getting stronger. Nanako came by asking what they were doing.

"Who are you fighting against?" Nanako asked.

"Myself… I guess?" Chie said uncertainly. Regardless, Nanako looked happy. Chie freaked out a moment later when Nanako said there was a grasshopper on her back. Souji had to admit the two of them got along well. Chie resolved that she would someday get over her fear of bugs. He felt the bond between them get stronger yet again.

Souji walked with Nanako home. She was exhausted after training with Chie. He sent her to bed when they got home.

"Nanako seemed tired. What happened today?" Dojima said when Souji came back to the kitchen.

"Just a bit of this and that. Nanako wore herself out from playing pretty much." It wasn't a lie. 'Training is playing?'

"I see… I'm glad that you spend time with her when I can't. So, how are things? You should be getting used to life here by now."

"Yeah, despite what people say about it being the country, I feel like I am finding something new every day."

"Ha, have a seat. We haven't had a talk yet since you got here. I'm sorry about that." There was a silence. Dojima was thinking of what to talk about.

"…How has school been?"

'Really uncle?' Souji thought. "It's been fun in a way, but I mean school is school."

"Ha, true enough. Your school days will be over soon so have fun while you can. How about your friends? You seem to have lots of them considering how Nanako was so happy to hang out with them that day you took her out. It's all she talks about."

"They've been great. I actually asked them if they could help me plan out something fun for Nanako-chan and they agreed." Souji said remembering that day.

"You have a great group of friends then… I'm not saying who you can and can't hang out with, but… well you know."

"Yeah… I understand."

"…For some reason, wherever there's an incident, there you are… I wish I didn't have to consider this, but… the killings began around the time you came to town."

'Is he serious? I'm a suspect…?'

Dojima then turned to Souji with a stern expression on his face. "My job is all about eliminating the random element. I only look at the facts." Souji was becoming worried now as Dojima continued. "If you keep getting caught up in my job, then…"

Nanako came running out into the kitchen. She apparently was listening in. "Big bro didn't do anything bad." Dojima's personality did a complete 360 in Nanako's presence.

"I-I know. I didn't mean it like that…" Dojima stuttered before he regained his composure. "Go to bed it getting late and you must be tired."

"…Okay." She turned and left.

'Thank you Nanako-chan…' Souji thought with relief.

Dojima sighed. "She is really taking a shine to you. Sorry, but just don't get yourself involved in anything dangerous. As long as you're safe, everything's fine. Your parents didn't ask me to raise your grades or anything."

'At least you consider my safety. Parents… I don't need them, at least not mines.' Souji felt a faint bond form between them.

"Are you alright?" Dojima asked worriedly.

"Huh?" Souji didn't realize that he had started to glare at things in front of him. "O-Oh yeah… I'm fine."

"You should get some rest then or study if you have to. I heard you have your midterms coming up."

"Thanks, I'll do just that…"

* * *

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	13. Chapter 11

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 11**

It was raining the next day, which meant another Mega Beef Bowl Challenge! Souji immediately headed to Aiya. Upon entering, he saw Minato in there, conversing with the owner.

"Hey, you here to take the challenge again?" Tetsu asked, recognizing Souji.

"Of course, I'll finish this time."

"I'm in too. I was wondering if you were going to come here today." Minato added.

So it began! The two wild cards went at it with determination. The current people dining watched with interest as they ate and ate… and ate. A while later… they were still eating. Tetsu laughed at them, it was pretty funny. They still didn't get to the rice.

"That'll be 3000 yen! Hahaha!" They both gave Tetsu a glare. A few moments later they left both green in the face. It was still raining.

"Ugh, I think I'm going to throw up…" Souji complained.

"Damn it… I didn't think it would be so much… I feel bad laughing at your attempt now."

"Serves you right." Souji told Minato.

Souji emitted a nauseated groan when he noticed Marukyu Tofu on the way back. He decided to stop by and help out and maybe burn off whatever he ate from trying to finish that monstrosity. He said goodbye to Minato and went in to get out of the rain.

"Oh, Souji-chan! You look especially green today. Are you sick?"

"You wouldn't believe…" Souji helped out with some of the heavy work that Michi couldn't do, and they talked while he worked. Michi had a granddaughter apparently around his own age. She was off doing something with her career apparently. Michi wasn't clear on it, but she missed her though. She gave him a bag of tofu for his help again and he was glad to take it. He couldn't stand to eat anymore meat for awhile.

* * *

"Welcome…" Igor said in his ominous way.

"I-Igor… help me!" Minato said stumbling and falling into the Velvet Room, clutching his stomach in pain.

"What is the matter?" Igor inquired.

"I think I'm going to explode from eating too much! Do something!"

"…I said I would assist you… but not in this way. Besides you are in pain, my boy, so I should leave you be."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What's going on?" Voices called out.

"H-Help me…" Minato said painfully.

"Oh Minato!" Elizabeth ran up to him and held him up. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"I ate too much…"

"Oh, is that all?" She promptly dropped him. "Remember you agreed to take responsibility for all the decisions you make. I'm going back to talk with Margret now. Bye Minato!"

"Ahhhh…"

Igor just chuckled in his creepy Igor way… Damn you!

* * *

It was Sunday, which meant no school. Hooray! It also meant midterms started the next day. Boo! Souji felt confident enough, he always did well on his tests. Some even went as far as to call him perfect or a genius, though he would say he was far from it. He just did well wherever he could and moved on. Not staying in a school for a long period of time gave Souji a sense that everything he does should count and so he would do his best. Others probably wouldn't have cared as much, but whatever. The investigation team would meet up for a study session today. Minato would be there too just because he might be able to help. They all met up at Junes.

"Ah, Souji, how was everything after… you know…" Minato asked.

"Hm… I think I did okay; I was able to work most of it off when I left. How about you?"

"Yeah… I collapsed on the ground, was picked up by someone and dropped. Then I got laughed at."

"Um… hey look, it's everybody else!" Souji quickly pointed at the approaching group.

"Good morning…" Yosuke yawned, dropping his books on the table. "Let's get this started then. Maybe I'll have a chance tomorrow because of this."

"Hey Minato, do you know how to do this problem?" Yosuke asked awhile later.

"Well let's see…" Minato gave Yosuke some pointers. Yukiko and Souji seemed the most prepared out of them all, excluding Minato, and helped tutor Chie and Yosuke.

"So, Minato you don't go to school anymore right?" Yosuke asked. Minato nodded. "How do you remember all of this? You must be some kind of genius."

"Nah, I just have too much time on my hands. I don't go to school, so I pass time by reading a book or two. I learn a lot from it."

"That's one hell of a book…" Yosuke grumbled, returning to his work.

The rest of the study session was uneventful and remained as such until noon rolled around. Yosuke and Yukiko had to go back to work, so it was just Chie, Souji, and Minato left.

"C'mon, let's go train! I need to get my mind off of studying!" Chie exclaimed, leading them to the usual place.

"Training?" Minato looked confused as he followed the two of them.

"It is what it is, to get stronger." Souji replied. So they all ended up training together. When they were done, Minato was the most exhausted out of all of them. His Persona abilities might have carried over, but his stamina sure didn't. Minato found a new way to spend his time now.

"Huh? Hey it's Chie. Whatcha doing?" An unfamiliar person came up to them.

"T-Takeshi…?" Chie seemed to recognize him. "W-Well training! Working out!" Apparently this guy knew Chie and was practically being an asshole about what she does.

"It's none of your business, what she does." Souji said, glaring at him.

"Oh, uh… I didn't mean it that way." Sure you didn't. "I'm Takeshi Kouno. I was with Chie up until middle school. I'm not gonna get in your guy's way." He turned back to Chie. "How's Yukiko-san doing…? Does she have a boyfriend yet?"

"Geez this guy…" Minato whispered to Souji who nodded.

"…She's fine, and I don't think so." Chie answered reluctantly.

"I see. Cool, cool. She still good-looking? Maybe I should try for her again…"

"Wow, this guy needs to go…" Minato whispered. Chie looked really angry at that moment, but it went unnoticed by Takeshi.

"I'll see you later." Go away! "Say hi to Yukiko-san for me." Never! He walked away. Chie looked upset.

"What do we do?" Souji whispered.

"Uh… I got an idea. Let's call on the Jack Brothers, with their help maybe we can tell a great joke. Okay got it! You're Pyro Jack and I'm Jack Frost okay?"

"Ahem!" Souji got Chie's attention. "Hey Pyro Jack! You seem to be on fire today!"

"Hm… maybe I should chill out like you Jack Frost!"

…

…

…Incredible fail.

Chie laughed at the joke anyways, or at them. After getting over her laughter, she turned to them again.

"I'm sorry. He really is rude, huh?"

"Asshole is more like it." Minato commented.

"Seriously… He was always staring at Yukiko… Don't get me wrong, he's nothing but an old classmate to me. We're just friends… though we used to get that a lot."

'Damn, being friends with him? Seriously?' Souji thought. Souji felt the bond between them grow stronger.

"Let's forget about it. I have to go home. I'll see you both later… and thanks." Chie ran off.

Turning to Minato, Souji said, "Dude, let's not try to do that ever again. That was the most awkward silence of my life…"

"Heh… well maybe next time?"

"NO!"

* * *

Midterms had started and five days later they ended. Souji was quite confident that he did well. Whenever he had spare time leftover after testing, he would look around the room. A lot of the students were either doing well or struggling. Yosuke and Chie, despite the study session, still seemed to struggle. The investigation team, minus Minato, was discussing the exams. Yosuke, for one, was glad that it was over, though he felt he didn't do too well. They overheard students talking about biker gangs or something nearby. Apparently in Inaba, the biker gangs caused a ruckus from time to time.

"I hear some guys at this school are part of it too." Chie was switching into gossiping mode. Apparently Yosuke was too.

"Yeah, there are some rumors about a first-year student here who's a total hell-raiser. One of the guys working at Junes said the dude's been a legend ever since middle school. Although… was he in a biker gang…?"

"Best not to believe too deeply into these rumors." Souji replied.

"D-Did you say he was a legend?" Yukiko said, getting excited.

"Uh… it's not what you think, Yukiko…" Chie said.

* * *

"Hey, let's go to drama club!" Yumi said. Well it has been awhile.

It was after school and they all were practicing. Suddenly, a girl ran in shouting that Yumi's mother had collapsed. Yumi was shocked. Souji offered to come with, but she said she should go alone. Despite what Yumi said, he went to the hospital anyway to check how she was doing. Souji saw Yumi in the hallway talking with a woman from afar. They didn't see him so he stayed silent. Apparently the woman was Yumi's mother and she lied to her so that Yumi would go to the hospital. There was someone that her mother wanted Yumi to see, but she didn't want to. After her mother left, Yumi noticed Souji standing in the hallway and was quite upset when she saw him. She then ranted about how her father was a total sicko. She described him as a dirty sleazebag, who abandoned her and her mother for another woman.

The conversation they had had caused Souji to think about his own father. Souji's father wasn't a sicko, but he might as well have been for all he knows. They left the hospital and parted ways.

* * *

The news was pretty interesting that night. Some kid went crazy over the camera crew for being too nosy. Apparently Dojima knew who he was.

"Do you know him, Dad?" Nanako asked.

Dojima nodded. "Well… I know him through work. His name's Kanji Tatsumi… He's quite a handful. He's been crushing biker gangs in the area since middle school, but I thought he got into a high school and started attending class. The guy's family owns a historic textile shop. I think what happened was, he crushed the local biker gangs because the noise they made kept his mother up at night. It's nice, but way too violent."

Souji thought about this information for awhile. "It's going to rain tomorrow." He heard Nanako say.

'So begins the Midnight Channel once more eh?' Souji thought grimly.

The next day, it did rain indeed. Chie took the time to remind them that they should watch the Midnight Channel tonight. There was nothing going on today so he walked home with his friends. That night the Midnight Channel came on… and a figure appeared!

'Damn, someone appeared," Souji thought slightly panicked, 'But it looks like a male figure this time. If this is true, then it's not an only female thing.'

Souji decided to call Yosuke. He pretty much came up with whatever Souji did and could not figure out who it was. He said to meet up tomorrow, which was Sunday.

The investigation team met up at Junes. Yosuke put on a show of making it seem like an official meeting of importance or something.

"Does that make this place our special headquarters?" Yukiko asked after Yosuke had settled down.

"Yes! Exactly! Nicely put Yukiko." Yosuke exclaimed. They all agreed with Yukiko's statement to some extent. "Anyways, as for what was on last night…"

"Everybody watched it right? Who was that?" Souji asked.

"Heheh… I didn't…" Minato said hesitantly.

"Dude, why not?" Yosuke asked.

"I… don't have a TV…?"

"…Seriously? How can you not have a TV? Where do you live anyways?"

"Uh…"

'Crap this is not good.' Souji thought as he watched the exchange between Minato and Yosuke.

"I live with… my grandpa… he's a little touchy on TVs so we don't have any. He… prefers to play cards as a form of entertainment… and naturally he knows my situation already.

'Huh? Grandpa… Igor?' Souji thought amusingly.

"Well okay… we're getting off subject here." Yosuke said shaking his head.

"I couldn't get a good look at the person's face, but it was a guy wasn't it?" Chie continued. They all agreed that the person looked like a high schooler.

"Didn't we agree that the victims were supposed to be females related with the first case?" Yukiko asked.

"That's what we thought," Yosuke began, "But we still don't know who exactly it was we saw."

"There's a chance he hasn't been thrown inside the TV yet. With Yukiko's case the image on the channel didn't become clear until _after_ the kidnapping." Souji began.

"So that means…" Yukiko realized.

"We can assume he's still safe for now." Souji concluded.

"Hm… if we know who the guy is, we can probably try to prevent him from being thrown in, right?" Minato asked.

"Yeah… and if all goes well, we might be able to catch the killer as well." Yosuke replied. "But like Minato said, to do that we need to know who the guy is… I hate to say it, but… we'll have to wait another night and see what happens."

"Well, if my deductions are correct, though we can't say for sure who it was, it was definitely a young male." Chie was switching into investigation mode. "But if that's true, it goes against all out prior assumptions. Since we cannot identify the person at this time, we have no choice, but to wait another night and see what happens!"

"I thought you were going to say something new there…" Minato rolled his eyes.

"That's exactly what we just said." Yosuke replied.

"…Shut up!" Chie said to Yosuke and Minato.

Yukiko began to laugh hysterically.

"…Uh, what's wrong with Yukiko-san…?" Minato looked scared. No one answered. They all looked somewhat frightened except for Chie. It was decided that they would watch the Midnight Channel tonight and talk about it again tomorrow.

"Oh yeah Minato…" Souji began.

"Hm…?"

"I don't care what Grandpa Igor says. GET A TV!"

* * *

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	14. Chapter 12

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 12**

"Kanji Tatsumi, huh? He definitely didn't look like the social type." Yosuke commented.

The investigation team had figured out that the likely Midnight Channel star was Kanji Tatsumi. They remarked that he was a scary individual especially after they had seen the television special on him. It was after school, so they decided that they would head to the store that Kanji's family owned.

Upon entering the store, they saw Kanji's mother talking with a navy-haired kid with a blue outfit with a hat to match. _He _was quite short making his age more difficult to judge. Apparently no one in the group has seen _him_ before. _He _left afterwards once _his _business was done. The group conversed with Kanji's mother while Yosuke looked around.

As they conversed Chie noticed something. "This scarf… I've seen this somewhere before… Oh it was that place inside the TV!"

"That's right!" Yosuke realized. "That room with all those faceless posters… then it's that announcer's…"

"Are you acquaintances of Ms. Yamano?" The owner asked.

"Uh, well kinda… Did Ms. Yamano happen to have a scarf like this?" Yosuke asked.

"Yes, it was a special order she placed. She actually ordered a pair, but in the end, she said she only wanted the women's scarf. It left us with no choice but to sell this one separately."

"Oh man, there is a connection to the first case…! What are we going to do…?" Chie panicked.

"Can I buy that scarf?" Minato asked. Everyone gave him a weird look, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Of course." The owner passed the scarf to him and the door bell rang. She excused herself and left.

"Would the killer really target someone because of a scarf? Damn it what's going on…?" Yosuke said in frustration.

The group left the store. Outside the store, Yukiko saw Kanji and the kid from earlier talking. Yosuke said to hide, but they failed at that since after Kanji had finished talking he immediately saw them. He ran up to them yelling and the group ran away, although Minato only ran because everyone else did.

"Why did we run?" They had stopped running a minute later so Minato decided to voice his question.

"Well… it's Kanji…" Yosuke was catching his breath after the sprint.

'That doesn't explain anything.' Minato thought.

"He's even worse in person than on TV…" Chie said.

"The one on TV last night was definitely Kanji-kun…" Yukiko was certain.

"And his mom fits the pattern, but it was her son that was on TV. What does that mean…?" Yosuke asked in confusion.

"I don't know maybe there's something else we're missing…" Souji replied.

"Well this is all just speculation anyways…" Yosuke said.

"We should probably just ask Kanji himself." Minato suggested.

"He scares the wits out of me, but…" Chie trailed off.

Yosuke suddenly remembered something. "Hey, wasn't Kanji making plans with that weird kid a moment ago? Something about meeting up at school? I heard he's been skipping school ever since the new year started…Doesn't that seem a little suspicious?"

"Yeah, something did seem weird. There's something funny going on here… I can sense it." Chie commented.

Yosuke scoffed. "Sense? You sound like Teddie… Still, we might find some clues. Alright, let's try staking out both Kanji and the store. We definitely don't want the killer getting ahead of us."

* * *

After school the next day, they all met up at the front gates. Yosuke was getting completely into the role of a stalker. Gave a status update on Kanji and every action he was making. Kanji came walking out a moment later and he didn't notice them. The guy from yesterday also came by about the same time he did. They left after exchanging greetings. Yosuke suggested they should split into two groups. Minato would go with the group that stalks Kanji since he would be level headed if Kanji found them stalking him. It was decided that Chie and Yosuke would accompany Minato and Souji and Yukiko would stake out the shop.

It had been a few minutes since Souji and Yukiko had gotten to their location by the shrine. Yukiko had gone to get them drinks as well as get a closer look around the shop. The fox from the shrine came up. She seemed happy for some reason perhaps because Souji had completed another one of the requests at an earlier date. The fox ran away upon hearing Yukiko come back with their drinks.

"Everything seems fine at the shop. I hope it stays that way… Do you think the culprit will come…?"

"No worries, I'll protect you. I have to look after my comrades after all." Souji didn't realize it but his words had lifted some of the tension that Yukiko was feeling. In any other case he probably would've never said that, but he was really getting into his role as a leader.

"It would be scary if the culprit showed up, but I'll do what I can to help catch them." Souji nodded at this. "You all saved my life… I don't want to be the only on doing nothing. I'm sure… there's something I can do…" She then realized how she was going on and on and then apologized. Souji felt a faint bond form between the two of them.

"Oh yeah, can I get your number? I'll also need to pass it along to Minato if you don't mind."

"O-Oh yeah…" She blushed. "I can't always answer because of the work at the inn, but feel free to call anytime."

With the other trio of stalkers… Chie was on the ground with Yosuke standing nearby. They were both by a tree.

"Man, this is weird…" Chie said.

"We definitely stand out." Yosuke replied.

"Maybe because one of you is on the ground and the other is standing in plain sight!" Minato called out from behind a tree across the road from them.

"No, I mean THEM! I get this weird feeling about them…" Chie exclaimed.

"Weird? What about them is weird?" Yosuke asked.

"Um… I don't know how to put it. Maybe it's just my imagination…" It was silent as they watched. "Hey, how do you think the others are doing?"

"Beats me. For all we know, he could be hitting on Yukiko as we speak."

"Yeah… no. He's not like you. Yukiko doesn't seem that interested in that stuff anyways. Wait… are you saying he's interested in her?"

Yosuke and Chie had decided to step out of their 'hiding place' to talk on the street.

"Guys, what are you doing? Hide!" Minato hissed urgently.

"Huh? Uh… I… wouldn't know… We don't really talk about that kind of stuff… Hahaha." Yosuke laughed weakly.

"…The hell are you two doing?" A voice called out from behind them.

"Well you see… we're just… two crazy lovebirds!" Yosuke stammered.

"Whaddya mean bird?" Chie was indignant, while Minato face palmed.

"Play along birdbrain!" Yosuke hissed to Chie.

"Didn't I see you guys yesterday?" Kanji said.

Minato thought this would be the best time to step out. "Hey man sorry, they were looking for me."

"Who the hell are you?"

"We weren't planning on getting in your guys' way, and there was nothing strange about it either…" Chie said while Minato face palmed again.

"S-Strange…" Kanji looked surprised.

"Why can't you keep your big mouth shut!" Yosuke hissed loudly to Chie. The pair picked that moment to run.

"W-Wait damn it!" Kanji shouted running after them.

Minato sat nearby watching Kanji chase after his two friends. Well, he tried to stop them. If only he had popcorn…

Awhile later, they all met up as a group again, and reported to Souji saying that they all failed. Correction, Yosuke and Chie failed, Minato went to find popcorn. He didn't find any.

"Well, let's wait here a little longer. Maybe Kanji-kun will come home." As Yukiko said this, Kanji appeared.

"Huh…? What're you guys doing here? You're those stupid lovebirds I just saw!"

"We are not a couple!" Chie immediately denied it.

"Why are you assholes followin' me around! Damn it, what the hell's going on?"

"Hey, uh… mind if we ask something? Has anything strange happened to you lately?" Yosuke said. Minato face palmed.

"Huh? Strange…?" Apparently, Kanji took it the wrong way. He got really angry at them and chased them away. After the group was a safe distance from Kanji, they decided that they would check up on him again tomorrow, seeing as nothing happened today. It was raining on the way home and it seemed like it was going to rain all night. Midnight Channel time!

Yukiko called Souji that night, explaining that Kanji had gone missing. She said that Kanji's mother told her that he had left the house and hadn't returned. This seemed really bad. The show that night was even weirder than Yukiko's crazy hormones. Kanji was completely different. For one thing, he wore a bath towel, and he didn't sound like his badass self. Yosuke called him as usual, saying they really needed to talk about this tomorrow.

* * *

Remember that scarf? It seems like Minato used it as a bargaining chip to get a TV installed in the Velvet Room.

Apparently, Grandpa Igor has a thing for scarves or one of his assistants does anyways. At least, that's what Minato had told Souji.

They discussed what they saw last night and agreed that the killer was some kind of sicko that enjoyed watching the pain of others on the Midnight Channel. They strengthened their resolve to find the culprit and their group bond increased. They left for the TV world immediately.

"Hey Teddie, someone's here right?" Yosuke asked when they saw Teddie.

"Oh… yep. I think someone's here." Teddie looked sad.

"You think? Do you know where he is?" Yosuke inquired.

"I dunno."

"What's wrong? Not feeling well?" The group looked concerned.

"Well, I sniff and I sniff, but I still can't tell where the smell is coming from."

"Aren't you thinking too much about too many things? I mean last time, you were wondering about who you really are and how long you've been here." Yosuke's little pep talk only further depressed Teddie. Suddenly he had a suggestion.

"I know what might help! You should give me a clue about this Kanji person! It's just a feeling, but I feel I can concentrate better on it. Do you have anything that could give me a better understanding of him? I just need something that can tell me what he is like."

The investigation team didn't really have any idea, not knowing Kanji that well. At Yukiko's suggestion, they decided they should ask around and find people who know Kanji personally. They all split up individually to ask around. Souji's search leads him to the roof where Kou was lying down on his back staring at the sky. Kou said he wasn't sure if he liked basketball anymore which shocked Souji. He said that ever since he got his family's blessing to play ball, he just wasn't feeling it anymore. He was seriously depressed and tired. Though Souji felt the bond strengthen, he felt like he wasn't able to help him at all.

Minato called Souji, who was leaving school and informed him that he could find the kid that was hanging with Kanji tomorrow at Junes and ask _him_ what _he_ knows. Now they have some kind of lead.

* * *

"Um… big bro… are you an only child?" Nanako asked as the two of them ate dinner.

Looking up from his meal he replied. "Hm… yeah, that's right."

That made Nanako happy, probably because that made their situations alike.

"Awhile ago, Dad told me that our family won't get bigger, but now I have a big brother!" She seemed overjoyed at that thought. She actually started a conversation and was leading it. He felt their bond grow stronger. After dinner, Souji helped wash the dishes and then went to bed.

Test scores were posted the next day and Yosuke and Chie didn't do as bad as they thought. Souji and Yukiko got the highest scores with Souji's score being slightly higher than hers.

At basketball practice, Kou was still depressed. He was pretty absentminded through the whole practice, and he didn't even notice when practice was over. He sighed a lot and thought that all this practice was going to waste. He left on his own afterwards. Daisuke came up with a brilliant idea of how to get Kou out of his slump. He pretty much threatened the other guys into setting up a real game. Souji was impressed that he would go so far for a friend. He felt the bond between them strengthen.

On the way back, Souji stopped by Junes to look for that kid that was with Kanji. _He _told them that Kanji was odd and bunch of other stuff. _He _deduced that Kanji had some kind of complex from his recent encounters with Kanji. It sounded good enough.

* * *

Pretty boring chapter honestly. Didn't have any ideas for this one. Probably should have dialogued it up some more!

Betated by RionAgrias!


	15. Chapter 13

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 13**

"Minato?" Souji said in a surprised tone.

Daisuke had mentioned to Souji that he had gotten enough players and said to show up to basketball practice today after school. He showed up as asked and there was Minato standing there in the school's basketball uniform.

"Uh… Souji?" Minato said almost equally surprised.

Daisuke looked at the two of them. "You two know each other already?" They only nodded and Daisuke continued. "Oh, well you see… after we talked a couple days ago, I went about recruiting a few people; it didn't turn out as well as I hoped. After that, I got hungry and went to Aiya where I met Minato. We talked a bit and well I told him I was having some trouble recruiting people. He volunteered, so here he is." Daisuke finished sheepishly.

"Well okay then. Welcome to the team…?" Souji replied uncertainly while scratching the back of his head.

"Is the other team here yet? More importantly, is Kou here yet?" Daisuke said, looking around.

As if on cue, Kou walked up to them. "Daisuke? This is the gym, not the field, you know."

"I'm on the basketball team today." Turning, Daisuke spotted the other team. "Alright, they're here. The game's about to begin, Kou."

Kou was shocked. "Huh! Do we have enough players?"

"I see five of us right here." He gestured to Minato, Souji, one of players that were already on the team, Kou, and himself.

"You? You're counting yourself?"

"Look, I know you think that no matter how hard you train, you're not accomplishing anything, but you can't do it by yourself. You've got us and you've got these guys who showed up for this game. Don't forget that." Points for awesome pep talk!

So the game began. Minato was surprisingly decent, though he started off terrible because he didn't really know how to play, but adapted quickly. Daisuke was pretty much in the same boat except he didn't adapt as quickly as Minato.

Kou got really into the game, but the opposing team was keeping up with them. The opposing team won in the end though. After the game they went to the roof for some air with Minato tagging along.

"I can't believe we lost… Souji and I were on fire too… I'm not surprised, though. I won't name names, but we had one guy out there who didn't even know what traveling is and there was the other guy who had a shaky start." Daisuke and Minato sighed before Kou continued. "No matter how hard you train, you can't do it all by yourself! Is that how it went? Man, even after dropping a pearl of wisdom like that…"

"Shut up, damn it! Look, the whole reason we set up this match was for-" Daisuke started.

"Haha, I know. It was all for me, right? Yeah… I feel… better. I don't know how to say it, but I don't feel so alone anymore. Does that make sense?"

Kou was worried that he wouldn't feel needed anymore since his sister would technically inherit the Ichijo name. He wondered if there was any point in him being there anymore.

"I was thinking of dropping by the orphanage and asking about my real parents."

"What will you do once you know?" Souji asked.

"I… don't know."

"If that's what you need to do, then do it. I know you'll be back." Daisuke said.

"Thanks… When I heard you set up a game for me that made me really happy and Minato, I don't know you, but thanks for helping with the team. I appreciate it. Come again if you really want to learn to play ball!" Souji felt the bond strengthen between them. They parted ways from there.

Souji and Minato walked in silence through the Samegawa Floodplains until Souji spoke. "So yeah…" Souji started. "Basketball, not your thing is it?"

Minato shook his head. "Nah, probably track or kendo or something like that."

"Kendo…? I guess that makes sense. You use a sword after all. I do too, but I don't how to use it all that well. That's why I use my Personas a lot more."

"Ha… maybe that's something I can help you out with." Minato smiled. A comforting silence fell between them. Souji told Minato that they would be heading into the TV tomorrow and to be prepared for that. They talked about various guy things like people, girls, music and so on. These were the good times.

* * *

Souji headed out the next morning to Junes. There he sat and waited for the rest of the investigation team to come. The fox from the shrine ran up to the table he was sitting at. Souji looked at her quizzically and the rest of the team arrived.

Chie was the first to notice. "Whoa, something's here! A-A fox! When did it…?"

Yosuke was staring at the fox as well. "Whoa, where did this guy come from?"

"Can we all stop gasping? It's only a fox…" Minato said.

"But dude, it looks scary too!" Chie exclaimed.

"Not with that apron thing on it." Minato replied.

'Wonder if the fox will take that as a compliment or an offense.' Souji thought.

Yukiko seemed to be the only one that recognized the fox from the shrine.

"Um… yeah, I met this fox awhile back. She showed me some special leaves and it's supposed to have healing properties to them. I'm guessing she showed me so that she could assist us in some way. Of course it's not free…" Souji explained.

"Huh…? Cure us with leaves…?"

"Huh…? Cooperate with us…?" Chie and Yukiko were both equally surprised.

"Are you serious?" Yosuke replied in disbelief and looked at the fox incredulously. "So it wants money in exchange for fixing us up…?" The fox gave a yip in agreement.

"Well that answers your last question." Minato said, looking at the group amusingly. "If it's going to assist us, then let's help it out. Healing can greatly benefit us while we're in the other world."

"Huh? Are you suggesting we take it into the other world…?" Yosuke asked, and Souji nodded in confirmation. From then on the fox became part of their investigation team.

* * *

"Sensei, did you find any clues?" Teddie asked. Souji told Teddie what he had learned about Kanji.

"…A complex? That's it? That's all you're giving me to work with?" Teddie made a rawr noise… "Oh well, then I'll open my nose up real wide and sniff real hard."

Minato was talking with the others. "So yeah, in the dream I had, I saw this huge guy with coffins and a sword burst out of my Persona and it went crazy, I tell you! I'm sure this was one of those things that happened in my past!"

"Huh, really…?" Yukiko seemed intrigued, the others not so much.

"I could believe a lot of things at this point, but that sounds a little farfetched. I mean, a Persona coming out of another Persona?" Yosuke said.

"Well, if I saw that, then I would definitely believe it." Chie looked doubtful.

"Over there! Follow me!" Teddie exclaimed running off. The other began to follow. The investigation team saw a building up ahead. The air became humid as they approached.

They heard voices. "C'mere, pussycat…"

"Oh… Such well-defined pecs…"

"There's no need to be scared…"

Chie was the first to snap out of her stupor. "Uh…"

The voice continued. "Now just relax…"

"W-Wait a sec! I-I don't wanna go!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"I-I agree with Yosuke! I-I'm not willing to go down this way!" Minato and Souji said, reacting in agreement with Yosuke.

"Is Kanji-kun really here, Teddie?" Yukiko asked.

'Please say no, Teddie!' The guys all screamed in their heads.

"The nose knows!"

'Damn it!'

"We're… really going in there…? We're doomed…" Yosuke sighed in defeat.

The inside of the building was steamy, but that was to be expected. Although their glasses allowed them to see through the fog, they were more of a hindrance in this environment. Naturally there were Shadows there, too.

This was Yukiko's first battle with Shadows and the team quickly discovered her potential in fire as she incinerated them. She used her Persona well for someone with minimal experience in these matters, but was also unsure what to do at other times such as encountering an enemy that has fire resistance. They all helped to clue her in though. They made their way up the floors of the steamy dungeon and on the third floor they encountered Kanji.

"Kanji!" Yosuke called out. Though, one look at him and they could tell it wasn't really Kanji.

"**Ooooh, my my! Thank you for your undivided attention! At last, I've penetrated the facility. These images are coming to you live from inside this steamy paradise, but I've yet to have any charming encounters. Could this hot fog be the cause? It's like steam rising from sweat! Mmmm, my body's tingling with excitement!"** A sign appeared.

"Men only huh…? I really wish I hadn't gone in today…" Minato said uncomfortably, looking at the sign.

"Crap… This is so wrong in so many ways…" Yosuke said, voicing his agreement.

"Yeah… I remember it being kinda like this on Yukiko's show, too…" Chie said.

"But I heard from Souji and Yosuke that it was awe-oof!" Minato was interrupted as Souji and Yosuke tackled him.

"N-No… It wasn't like this…" Yukiko stuttered.

"**That elusive thing I truly yearn for…Will I be able to find it here? Teehee! Well then, onward and deeper to reach further realms of romance!"** What the hell? Kanji then ran away. The team ran after him.

The seventh floor was when things got interesting. When they met up with Kanji again, he introduced them to giant wrestler guy. The Shadow looked ready to crush the investigation team. It let out a roar and charged up its power, ready to smash the first one who comes near it. Though it was tough, its pattern of attack was predictable. Souji knew exactly when to order everyone to guard. During the battle, Shadow Kanji had left the room. The team only realized that once their battle had ended.

Four floors of fighting Shadows later, they opened, what they believed to be, the final door of the dungeon, to reveal both Kanji and his Shadow.

"Kanji!" Yosuke shouted out.

"I…" Kanji seemed to be in a state of surprise.

"**Oh, come now, enough with the charade. Isn't it awful to deceive people? To deceive yourself…? What's so bad about doing what I want to do?"**

"Lots of things, but technically you can do anything you want. You just have to pay for it later." Minato said, though the Shadow ignored him.

Kanji seemed to have finally found his voice. "That has nothin' to do with it…"

"**I'm what you really want, aren't I?"**

"Hell no!" Kanji shouted back vehemently.

"**Oh, how I hate girls… So arrogant and self-centered! They cry if you get angry, they gossip behind your back, they spread nasty lies. They look at me like some THING and say that I'm a weirdo…"** The Shadow began to go in to rant mode. **"Men are much better. They'd never say those awful, degrading things. Yes, I vastly prefer men…"**

"Hell with that! What makes you think you can say that shit with my face…?"

"**Why, you're me… and I'm you… You do know that, don't you…?"**

"There's no way in hell that you're me!" That was the final straw. The Shadow began to transform.

"Whoa! What the hell is that thing?" Minato shouted. The Shadow was a huge muscular guy with roses covering the upper half of its body. Half of Kanji was also sticking out of it and it held giant cross things in its hands. It had two smaller Shadow minions by its side as well. Both of them looked similar to Shadow Kanji, minus the flowers and giant cross things.

"Doesn't matter we have to stop it!" Souji shouted.

"**I am a Shadow… The true self… I'm just being true to myself and that's why I'll get rid of anything in my way!"**

"Are these… Kanji-kun's true feelings?" Yukiko asked, staring at the Shadow.

"This isn't really him! It's just his emotions going haywire!" Yosuke shouted.

"**This has nothing to do with you guys anymore! Didn't I just say I'm gonna get rid of you!"**

"Souji, where do we start?" Yosuke asked.

Souji observed the fight ahead of them. The biggest threat was probably Shadow Kanji, but the two guys next to him could be a danger as well.

"We'll need to observe a bit. For now focus on Shadow Kanji! Rakunda!" Souji summoned Archangel to weaken Shadow Kanji's defenses.

"High Pixie!"

"Tomoe!"

"Jiraiya!"

"Konohana Sakuya!"

The other members took advantage of the Shadow's weakened defense to deliver massive damage to it. One of the Shadows, Teddie identified as Nice Guy, used Heat Riser on Shadow Kanji while the Tough Guy attacked a startled Yukiko, who managed to dodge. Teddie advised them that Shadow Kanji had become much stronger and that was evident when it used Swift Strike effectively knocking Chie and Minato out.

"Crap… Yosuke eliminate that power up!" Souji ordered.

Yosuke casted Dekaja on the Shadows and eliminated the power up. Souji and Yukiko went about reviving their fallen members.

"Okay new plan we'll need to eliminate the Nice Guy first while dodging the other guys' attack! Who knows what else the Nice Guy is capable of?" Souji said.

From then on, the focus of their attacks was on the Nice Guy. Yosuke provided assistance with Sukukaja on the team and Dekaja on the enemies. Souji, Yukiko, and Minato switched places between healing when needed and attacking. Once the Nice Guy was defeated, there were fewer casualties from the other Shadows, though Shadow Kanji still hit pretty hard. Then suddenly as the battle progressed, Shadow Kanji thought poisoning and enraging them would help bring about their defeat. Yeah… not so much… but its next attack would shock them literally. If Minato didn't have High Pixie to block the lightning attack they probably would've been screwed. The fight came to an end and the large Shadow reverted back to Kanji. Close one…

* * *

Patcheresu: Ha you leave interesting reviews. I enjoy reading them. I feel like I know what you're talking about with the scarf, but then I don't…

DemonRaily: This chapter answers your question, I hope. It's purely for comedy-ish reasons so I mean no offense to anyone or something like that if anyone interprets it like so.

Everbody else who still reads this story and got to this point: Thanks very much!

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	16. Chapter 14

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 14**

"Damn it…" Kanji was slowly getting to his feet after the team had finished off the Shadow.

"Kanji is still rejecting it!" Teddie shrieked.

Though Shadow Kanji had reverted back in all its loin-clothed glory, it seemed that it was ready to fight again due to Kanji's defiance.

"**Such a passionate approach… I think that you four… would make wonderful boyfriends."**

'Crap!' The guys all thought.

"S-Stop it! You got it all wrong!" Yosuke shouted.

"Enough… Stop…" Kanji's voice was weak. "What the hell are you blabbering about…?"

"**I don't care who… Won't someone, anyone, please accept me…?" **The Shadow's tone sounded different from its usual taunting one. **"Accept me for who I am!"**

"Wh-Whoa! I really don't swing that way!" Yosuke shrieked.

"I said stop it!" Kanji shouted. Kanji rushed the Shadow as it tried to approach them and punched it hard, knocking it down. "Tch. Can't believe something like this is inside of me…" He let out a sigh. "Yeah, I know… I've known all this time I had something like you inside! It has nothing to do with guys or chicks… I'm just afraid of being rejected. I'm a total pansy who tries to make everyone hate me."

"You're not alone; we all have a part of us like this." Souji said, trying to comfort Kanji.

"…" Kanji was silent. He turned back to his Shadow, who was still on the ground. "C'mon get up. Anyone who looks like me isn't so weak that they can't take a punch. I already know that you're me and I'm you, dammit!" The Shadow disappeared and a Persona replaced it before retreating back into Kanji.

"Oh man here it comes…" Yosuke said, looking at Souji expectantly.

"Oh c'mon don't take the fun out of it." Souji gave Yosuke a weird look.

"Just say it already."

"Ahem! Kanji has faced his other self… He has obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona Take-Mikazuchi!" Everyone else gave a sigh as if exasperated, though their smiles betrayed how they really felt.

Kanji fell back tired. "Shit…"

"Let's get him out of here." Yosuke suggested. They said goodbye to Teddie and left the TV world.

"Kanji-kun, are you okay?" Yukiko asked concerned.

"It's… nothin'…" He took a deep breath and smiled. "…I feel great… like my mind's cleared up." He then looked around. "Hey about what just happened…"

"We'll tell you about it later." Souji interrupted. "For now just take it easy."

"We'll be waiting for you at school." Chie added.

"School…? Sure, if I ever feel like going."

"I'll take this guy home." Yosuke volunteered.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'll take him back. I'm on my way to the Shopping District anyways." Minato explained.

"Alright, I suppose that works out, I guess." Yosuke shrugged.

The team parted ways there with Minato taking Kanji home.

"Hey, I know you said you're alright and everything, but usually after facing their other selves, people come out exhausted."

"It's nothin'. Really…" Kanji said.

"Well, you are tougher than most, I'll give you that, but seriously take it easy."

"Tch… I don't need you to tell me what to do." After that Minato became silent. Kanji was a tough individual, who didn't like others to patronize him. They approached the shop where Kanji lived.

"Alright, we're here." Minato let Kanji go.

"…Thanks for the help." He felt awkward saying it seems.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Minato Arisato, it's nice to meet you." He bowed. Kanji was surprised by the politeness.

"Minato… Minato, huh…? I think some guy was lookin' for you…"

"…What? Who?"

"Some tall guy with black hair…"

'That wasn't specific at all…' Minato thought.

"He asked some people around here a few days ago if they knew a guy named Minato. He didn't give any description of you so I can't say for sure if it was you the guy was lookin' for."

'I should keep my eye out for this vague individual.' "Thanks Kanji, I'll remember that."

"Later then…"

* * *

"Oh, I forgot to tell you." Dinner was a normal affair until Dojima spoke. "Remember Kanji Tatsumi? The guy I told you about? You know, the one that went nuts on that news special? His family called to report him missing, but now he's been found. I thought you should know since you go to the same high school."

"I'm glad to hear that." Souji smiled, feigning a bit of relief.

"One other thing… I hear some people have seen you around that textile shop that Kanji's family owns. It's not the kind of shop students normally visit. Just what kind of business did you have there?" Seems Dojima is starting to get into detective mode.

'Damn, he still thinks I have a connection the murder cases. I mean, I do, but not in the way he's thinking. "My friend took me there." Souji said simply.

"…A friend? Oh… that Amagi girl? Her family does buy their stuff." Dojima sighed. "…Fine." Dojima finished letting the matter drop. "Just don't get in over your head, okay?" Souji gave a nod.

Nanako, who was watching them talk the entire time, spoke. "…Are you fighting again?" Dojima and Souji had to explain to Nanako that they weren't having a fight. It was somewhat humorous and lifted the tension that Souji was feeling as he was being interrogated.

* * *

With Kanji rescued, Chie decided to drag Souji out after school to train some more despite having just fought Shadow after Shadow in the dungeon. After the uneventful training session, the two of them went to Aiya to eat. Chie was enthusiastic about the food, which made her really happy. It made Tetsu happy too. Souji felt the bond strengthen between them grow.

The two of them left Aiya talking about various things. With Chie, it seems to be a lot about meats. A police officer saw them and asked them a few questions. He asked if the two of them have seen any bullying or not, which neither of them had seen. Chie seemed extremely angry at the thought of others ganging up on the weak. Somehow, Souji got roped into helping her deal out justice, but he didn't really mind. Their bond strengthens yet again.

Souji went home that night and saw Dojima at the table reading his newspaper. Dojima called out to him saying he heard that Souji got a really high test score. Where did he hear that from? He gave Souji a crap load of money claiming that he should as an uncle.

"So…" Dojima started hesitantly after giving Souji the money. "What have you been up to after school?"

'Did he just try to bribe information out of me?' "I've been doing lots of things like jobs and clubs when I can, but mostly hanging out with friends." Souji replied.

"I see… You're pretty capable for your age, aren't you?" He was impressed. He sighed. "This sounds like it's turning into an interrogation, doesn't it?"

'If that money was anything to go by…' Souji stayed silent however as his uncle continued.

"It's not like we have much in common… except for the murders." Dojima couldn't seem to think about anything other than 'Souji seems to be involved in the case', so Souji decided to take the conversation in a new direction.

"Uncle Dojima, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"Me?" He seemed surprised. "You're interested in the strangest things. Well, it is what it is. I'm a country detective living with my daughter. There's nothing about it that will interest a high school kid." He smiled. "But, you know, it's really good to have you around the house. I didn't think Nanako would be so happy. She always saying 'Big bro' this and 'Big bro' that." Souji felt his spirit lift a little after hearing that. It was a very nice family feeling that he never felt at his home in the city. "To me, you're more like a very younger brother than a son."

"Heh, that's stretching it a bit." Souji replied after hearing that.

Dojima gave a hearty laugh and told Souji off in mock anger. "You know, it's been awhile since I've laughed this much." The bond between them strengthened. Dojima looked at the clock and said he had to finish up some work so Souji went to bed after.

Souji was leaving school the next day to go to the Shopping District when he ran into Yukiko. She was leaving to go to the Shopping District as well, so they left together.

Yukiko picked up a book on job licenses and told Souji she didn't want to inherit the inn. She was determined to leave town once she graduates, but didn't want her mother to know. Souji felt their bond strengthen. They parted ways there and Souji continued to Marukyu.

"Ah, good afternoon, Souji-chan." Michi greeted.

"Hello, do you need help today?"

"Hm… yes I do." She pointed towards the back where there were some boxes. She wanted help lifting them upstairs.

"Wow these are frickin' heavy…" Souji muttered to himself. "How have you been doing things like this without any workers around?"

"I get by… somehow." She had this mysterious grin on her face. "Oh that reminds me, I'm actually getting some help soon. My granddaughter is coming back home for awhile to take a break." Michi seemed really happy.

"Really? I'll finally get to meet this granddaughter you talk about so much!"

"You would keep volunteering your time even after I have help?" She was clearly moved by the commitment.

"Whenever I can." The room, Souji had carried the boxes to, had some pictures around. "Oh is this your granddaughter?" The picture was of a much younger Michi and a short brown-haired girl in an orange dress.

"Ah yes. My precious little Rise-chan. She was such a handful when she was a child and had a great imagination too!" She laughed as she reminisced. "These are actually some of my granddaughters things that she sent ahead to get settled."

"Geez you're granddaughter must be rich or something. There's a lot more boxes down their filled with her things. This might take days with only two people helping out. Hm… do you mind if I get another pair of hands here?"

"It's okay; I couldn't trouble your friend with this stuff."

"It's fine really. I'm pretty sure he isn't doing anything right now."

* * *

"Minato!" Souji shouted bursting through the Velvet Room door startling the residents inside.

"What is it? Is it an emergency?" Minato stood up surprised by the sudden intrusion.

"I will ask you not to cause such a disturbance the next time you enter the Velvet Room. The hymn was interrupted." Igor said.

"I apologize, Igor, Margaret, and… um… former assistant?"

"Elizabeth. Pleased to meet you." She said with a smile. "You're a lively one."

"Souji Seta, likewise and thanks? You are a charming person yourself." Elizabeth's smile grew a little wider.

"Ahem!" Margret interrupted. "What is your business here today?"

"Sorry, Minato, I want you to help me move some stuff around in a shop down the street. You in?"

"Er… I'm kind of busy?" Minato said unconvincingly. "It's not that I don't want to help, but I'm learning a few things from Elizabeth here."

"Just go, it's not like you can't come back later. You live here after all." Elizabeth said.

"Ah fine, I'm going." Minato said reluctantly. So the pair left for the shop where they went about the grueling task of bringing box after box upstairs. By the time they finished it was already nighttime.

"Thank you Souji-chan and Minato-chan!" Michi was really happy that they had finished. She gave them both tofu and the pair departed the shop.

"It's nice to get free food, but man, I still haven't finished all the tofu she gave me last time I was here." Souji said, peeking at the contents of the bag.

"Hm… I wonder if they'll like tofu…" Minato thought aloud.

"Do Margret, Elizabeth, and Grandpa Igor like tofu?"

"Geez, won't you let that grandpa thing go? I only said it to keep the secrecy of the Velvet Room."

"Oh c'mon. You spend a lot of time there. Those guys are practically your family. I know you guys get along well."

'It's true.' Minato thought. 'They are the only ones who really know who I am and they treat me really well despite the fact that I don't really know them.'

"Hey, we've arrived." Souji pointed out. "I'll talk with you again later. I have to get home since it's already pretty late." With that, Souji walked away and Minato entered the Velvet Room.

"Welcome…"

"Hey. Who wants tofu?" Minato said as held up the bag he was carrying.

* * *

Patcheresu: Yup, love that story and its style of writing!

Jranz: I was thinking about an idea for the fox like with Shamisen, but I couldn't really make it work, so she won't be a major character or anything special really. Maybe though…

DemonRaily: 6 timing bastard eh? Hm… nah. Honestly, I don't even know who to pair Souji up with in the first place. The theory about the Naoto-Minato thing is interesting, but if the people want it…

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	17. Chapter 15

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 15**

The events of yesterday's work were still fresh on his mind and his muscles as he went through school that day. Kanji had not recovered yet so the team could not progress with their investigation. He hung out with Yukiko that day and she took him to the Junes' grocery store. She seemed to be having a hard time figuring what kind of food to get. She said she wanted to practice her cooking so that she would be able to eat something healthy when she became independent, a trait that Souji knew all too well. He was somehow roped into taste testing her food. He had a bad feeling about that decision.

'I'm not going down alone!' Souji thought.

Elsewhere, Minato shuddered.

Souji went home that night and saw his uncle was home. It seemed Dojima wanted to speak with Souji again though the look on Dojima's face indicated it was more than just a chat. He heard that Souji and his friends frequented at Junes often, which he said was fine, but then asked why they made so many trips to the electronics department. Souji didn't have to answer luckily, since Nanako appeared telling her dad that they never talk anymore. Dojima became slightly flustered, but the conversation soon came to an end when he saw Nanako was a slightly pale and tired.

After Nanako had gone to bed, Souji realized Dojima couldn't really interact with Nanako that well. He told Souji that he left raising Nanako to his wife for the most part so he didn't really know how to approach her. Souji felt their bond strengthen. Despite the depressing mood, Souji went to sleep thinking what he could do to help…

The next day as he prepared for school, he realized Nanako wasn't up to wake him as usual. In fact she wasn't up at all. Souji knocked on her door. There was silence however. So he slowly opened the door to go inside. Nanako was still in bed.

"Hey Nanako-chan, wake up. It's time for school." Souji got a closer look and saw she was paler and more exhausted looking than yesterday.

"Are you alright?" Nanako opened her eyes, but didn't say anything. It seemed obvious she was sick or something. "Hold on, I need to call the school." Souji called his school, as well as Nanako's saying that neither of them would be there today. He also called Dojima, who said he couldn't make it back because of work. He would try to get back as early as possible.

'Damn it Dojima, your daughter needs you!'

He checked for all usual symptoms of a fever such as her temperature and it turns out she did. He checked for any medicines that would alleviate some of the symptoms. His phone rang and he saw a text message.

"_Yo. Where you at?" _It was Yosuke. He quickly replied back.

"_Need to stay home. Nanako-chan sick." _Send.

"_We'll come by later."_

With that, Souji continued his search for medicines. He searched for awhile in the likely places and found none. He was slightly worried. He needed to get to a store quickly, but he couldn't leave Nanako alone. By some miracle the doorbell rang.

Minato was standing outside. "Hey, Yosuke messaged me saying that Nanako-chan is sick. Since I'm not doing anything, I decided to stop by to see if I can he-!"

Souji could've hugged him right then. He didn't however. He instead grabbed his shoulders and shook him hysterically.

"Listen, I need to get to a store. I'm leaving you here in charge of Nanako-chan. You can cook, right? Make some soup that will help alleviate some of her symptoms! Okay, thanks bye!" Souji raced out of the house towards Junes leaving Minato dumbstruck.

He arrived to Junes where he furiously tore through the shelves in the pharmaceutical area. He enlisted the help of a worker there who pointed him towards some shelves that contained the medicine he was looking for. He paid for it and made his way out. On his way out, he spotted someone familiar and she spotted him as well.

"Hey aren't you that kid on the soccer team?" It was Ai Ebihara.

Souji made a complete stop momentarily forgetting what he was doing. "It's the basketball team and what are you doing here? You should be in school."

"Isn't it obvious? I ditched." She said simply.

"Tch, you shouldn't ditch class."

"Huh… Don't be a hypocrite. You're not in school either."

"I have business, I already called in absent."

"Seems like you just made an excuse so you could go shopping." She said, looking at the bag in his hand. Souji narrowed his eyes. "Huh? What's with that look?"

"Forget it. Look, if you like to ditch that's fine. Just don't label me with you." Ai looked surprise by Souji's sudden bluntness.

"Huh…"

"Damn, I gotta go!" Souji ran off. As he did he felt a faint bond form between him and Ai. 'You serious?' Souji thought as he ran.

Souji arrived home out of breath. He climbed the staircase to see Minato was already feeding Nanako some of the soup he made.

"That smells good. Thanks man." Souji said sitting on the floor next to the bed. Nanako gave him a weak smile.

"Of course, I'm not gonna be an ass and not help out or anything."

The morning went by and it was now lunch time. Souji heard the door open as he was eating with Minato.

"Hey, I'm back!" Dojima walked into the kitchen and saw Minato sitting at the table. "Huh? Who's this? I don't think I've ever seen you around before." He seemed to be a little suspicious of Minato's presence. Minato got up and bowed as he always does when he introduced himself. Souji explained why he was here.

"I am Ryotaro Dojima, a detective of the Inaba Police Department. I have to thank you then for helping out."

Minato nodded.

"You should go upstairs and see her now. She needs you. Remember?" Souji said.

Dojima looked at Souji, remembering yesterday's conversation. He nodded and left for Nanako's room.

"So that's your uncle… Well, it only makes sense for him to be on your case being a detective and all…"

"He means well and he doesn't want me getting into any trouble, but I feel like he's starting suspect me more and more as time passes especially with the case remaining unsolved."

They talked a little more about various things before Dojima came downstairs. "She seems to be doing a lot better now with your guys' help. I need to get back now so I'll try to make it back tonight. See you then." Dojima walked out the door.

The rest of the team arrived to see Nanako after school as Yosuke said earlier, and they all went to her room to wish her well. Nanako seemed much better already and was actually able to speak a little. They all stayed for a few hours and left when it became dark.

Nanako was feeling a lot better the next day so she could go to school. She was really happy that her big bro and friends took care of her. Other than that, the school day continued as usual.

"Hey, you!" A voice called out from behind him. It was after school.

Souji turned around. "My name is Souji Seta, _Ebihara-san_."

"Okay, _Souji-san_, you're going with me to shop!"

"What? Why should I?"

"Because you were rude yesterday and for that you owe me."

"…Wh-What?" Souji began to protest, but Ai dragged him by the arm to the train station which was headed to Okina City.

"Alright, you can let go of me you know. We're here already." Souji said, tugging his arm away from Ai. She led him to a store in which they, meaning Ai, was looking around for a new wardrobe. Souji stared around with disinterest. She didn't find what she was looking for so the manager tried to interest her with a few other things. Ai appeared annoyed though she didn't say anything about it until after the two of them left.

"Ugh, I hate salespeople…" They were walking towards the station.

"Well, they're there for a reason. To talk or whatever it is they do as they help." Souji said.

"There's no such thing as a relationship without ulterior motives."

Souji raised his eyebrows at this cynical statement. "If you say so. C'mon, we're at the station. It's time to go home." Even though he had a dislike for the girl, Souji had an interesting talk with her on the way back to Inaba.

"Well, we're back… I guess despite how boring the shopping trip was…" Ai gave him a look. "…It was somewhat fun just to hangout and talk. I guess I wouldn't mind doing this again. Anyways I'm going now. I'll see you around." Souji felt the bond between them strengthen as he made his way home.

* * *

Souji hung out with Chie the next day where they trained and then went out to eat. On their way to Aiya, they heard voices in the alley. The voices sounded menacing so the two rushed over to check things out. There were three punks beating on that guy, Takeshi. As soon as he saw them he rushed over and hid behind them.

"T-Take care of them for me, won't you?" The coward ran away after saying that. Chie was surprised. Despite that, Chie was ready to take them on. The punks seemed ready as well. Souji saw that he should step in.

"Three on one? You guys are just as much of a coward as the other guy." He said, narrowing his eyes. Chie seemed surprised at his intervention.

"Forget this. What a pain." One of the punks said.

"The other guy who ran might call the cops." Another one said. The punks all walked away. Souji was somewhat relieved that a fight didn't happen. He didn't really have much experience in street fighting so it could've ended badly, but he also carried a chivalrous trait that urged him to help out.

"Why'd you butt in?" Chie shouted at Souji, breaking him out of his thoughts. "I could've handled them!" She suddenly realized what she had just said. "…Sorry. I shouldn't have said that." She seemed regretful. "I charged in myself and caused you trouble."

"It was no trouble, really." Souji gave her a sincere smile. He felt their bond strengthen. He saw her blush a little and he gave her a quizzical look. She turned away and they began to walk home.

School was the usual the next day. Morooka was being an asshole as always, saying Kanji didn't belong in this school because he was absent so often. Yukiko had finally made some food that she wanted Souji to try out, which he was obligated to do since he agreed last time they hung out. As they walked, Souji texted Minato without Yukiko seeing. A very useful skill.

'Hope Minato is ready for some taste testing.' Souji thought.

They arrived to the park where Yukiko pulled out a boxed lunch. Souji looked at the contents.

'Well… it looks fine… but what's with the smell…? Well here goes nothing…' "Let's eat!"

'Hm… well it's soft…! Ow… my teeth.' Souji tried to swallow it and found he had difficulties doing so. When he did swallow it, he gave off a shudder.

"…You're not going to tell me how delicious it was, are you?" Yukiko looked down.

"Perhaps next time…" He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She seemed grateful though.

"Huh? It's Minato-kun." Yukiko said pointing at the approaching blue-haired man.

"Hey, I'm here. You needed me for something?"

"Ah yeah, here. Could you try this out? We need a second opinion on it." Souji handed him the boxed lunch.

"Huh…? Um… alright?" Minato sat down across the table. Yukiko gave Souji a look that said "What are you doing?"

"Alright, here goes…" If anything, Minato was a lot more susceptible to the effects of the food. He fell to the side unconscious the next moment.

"Minato-kun!" Yukiko rushed over to his side and checked if he was alright. Souji smiled a little. It was a jerk move, but funny at the same time.

During the little commotion with Minato, Nanako had stopped by. "What are you doing?" She looked at Minato's unconscious body.

"Nanako-chan? I… was just having them try my boxed lunch." She gave Souji that look again.

"Ooh, I want some!" Nanako said excitedly.

She looked to Souji and the unconscious Minato. "Um… sorry, but I can't give you any. It's not good."

Nanako shrugged it off and said that when it was good she wanted to try some. She then left.

"So why is Minato-kun here?" Yukiko asked.

"Haha… Well just because I wanted him to try out your food too. It's best to have as many opinions as you can, right? Besides, it was kind of funny." Yukiko giggled a little. He felt their bond strengthen.

'Sorry Minato, somehow I ended up using you to further my Social Links. I owe him later.'

Minato was getting up. He seemed somewhat groggy.

"I'm sorry… My food did this to you…" Yukiko apologized.

"Ah…? Minato appeared confused. "I'm not sure what happened. I think… I got a sense of déjà vu. It felt like a very familiar situation."

* * *

Jranz: Had I not thought further ahead, I could probably use something like that, but who knows if I feel like I should, I may implement that idea somehow. Thanks for the review and suggestion.

DemonRaily: Nah, it's not Ryoji, just some guy also known as an OC. You psyched for Catherine? Sounds like a really interesting game.

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	18. Chapter 16

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 16**

"Really? Do you know what?" Both Souji and Yukiko asked. Despite how terrible the cooking was something about it made Minato remember… something.

"Uh… I'm not sure. I just had a sense of déjà vu. I'm not entirely sure, but I think a girl or somebody asked me to try their food out. I tasted Yukiko's food and well… it was pretty bad. No offense. Heh…"

"It's okay, just continue." She smiled.

"It tasted bad like hers did, I'm pretty sure." He smiled sheepishly.

"Well I guess your food wasn't all that bad if it helped Minato here remember something." Souji said.

"Ha… Thanks Yukiko, but um… make sure you test it out yourself as well… I don't think it's going to help me remember anymore."

Yukiko looked embarrassed, but she took their advice.

* * *

Somehow Souji found himself being dragged to Junes by Yukiko the next day. 'Man… girls like to drag me to a bunch of different places.' Souji thought amusingly.

She wanted to make up for yesterday's fiasco by dragging him around Junes. She wanted to buy materials for studying. They had a fun time talking until a couple of suits showed up. They had this nasty sneer on their faces that Souji saw in the most inconsiderate of people. They were with some kind of news gossip show. Figures. Their presence seemed to make Yukiko want to move away from Inaba even more. Other than that, they shopped around for studying material. He felt their bond strengthen.

Guess what? The next day Souji got dragged to go shopping again. Today, Ai took him to Okina City again. Souji swore the girls that he hung out with are taking turns or something.

"Hm… I don't feel like shopping today."

'For real? YES!'

"I guess we can chill?" Souji shrugged. She didn't seem to like his suggestion, but went along with it. A conversation was eventually initiated and Souji learned she had grown some compassion for the basketball team. By the end of the conversation, Souji felt their bond grow stronger. After that, some guy, whom Souji recognized from their school, tried to ask her out and she flat out rejected him. Souji wasn't sure how he felt about that, so he turned away and looked around the city. The police were still roaming the area in search of a suspect.

The girls seemed to have rotated again. Today, it was Yumi, but she didn't drag him around to shop. She only has drama on her mind after all. Today was interesting because of the drama going on literally. Yumi was pissed at the club president's lack of dedication to drama. The president had tried to end practice early since it was almost time to leave, but Yumi insisted that they should use all the time given. Souji felt their bond increase.

Social Linking was becoming Power Linking these past few days. That bitter feeling he had before returned, but he tried his best to ignore it by telling himself that he genuinely cared for these people.

For the next couple days, he stopped his Power Linking. He declined invitations to hang out whenever he was approached by his friends. He spent those days actually being a student and visiting the Velvet Room where he did his Persona business with Igor and got to know Margaret and Elizabeth better. He also spent a day at Aiya's trying the beef bowl challenge again with Minato. It didn't end well, especially with Tetsu laughing at them.

It was Sunday and Souji just wanted to spend it lazing around the house. Those plans didn't happen however. Chie personally came to his house and invited him out. He would feel bad for turning down this invitation since she came all the way to his house. Well it was training; maybe it could take his mind off other things though that didn't happen either. That coward Takeshi came around to _apologize_ and was rude at the same time. Chie just told him off.

"If you lose that sunny attitude, you're not going to have anything left. Takeshi said in response. "Speaking of which, what's up with Yukiko-san? She seems weirdly cheerful and had this funky laugh."

"…That's how she really is." Chie replied with disdain.

"…She was better gloomy."

"…Shut it already!" Souji was sick of his attitude. It didn't help that he was feeling bitter already.

"Wh-What the hell?" Takeshi looked alarmed as well as Chie.

"Just shut up… You don't know Yukiko anymore, got it?" Souji was beginning to raise his voice. "Now leave before I give a fricken reason for you to leave!" And leave he did. He got the hell out of there. Souji gave a sigh. He didn't know what came over him.

"Um… Thanks. Are you okay? That wasn't like you at all." She seemed concerned. He gave her the best smile he could muster and said he was alright. She let it go and told Souji a little of how she and Yukiko became friends. It was a nice story. He felt their bond strengthen once more.

'Again…'

* * *

"H-Hi there!" Kanji sounded unusually polite. Kanji had finally gotten himself to school meaning the team had another meeting on the roof to talk with Kanji.

Chie laughed. "Where'd the manners come from?"

"Um… I didn't know you guys were my senpai." Kanji said awkwardly.

They all laughed and then Minato suddenly stopped. "Wait… I'm not your senpai. I don't even go to this school."

"Well, there's this feeling. Besides, you have my respect as well. Thanks a bunch. Though I don't remember too much."

They all talked with Kanji in order to obtain new information about his kidnapping. The team didn't find any new information regarding the case. The conversation eventually drifted onto the subject of Kanji's life and so on. Kanji however, volunteered to help them out, and Souji felt their group's bond strengthen. They took Kanji to their special headquarters at Junes where they fed Kanji, who ate like a madman.

"So the guy is killing people with TVs? Is he beating them to death?" Kanji asked while eating.

"No they weren't being beaten with a TV. Were you listening at all?" Yosuke gave Kanji a look.

"Don't worry, he'll understand once he sees the place with his own eyes." Chie said.

They discussed the case some more, though they still couldn't figure out the pattern. Kanji produced a piece of paper from his pocket and showed it to the team. Souji took it and read it aloud.

"Enka album charts…?" The team pondered this topic a little before deciding that the Hiragi lady has nothing to do with the case.

"Female announcer ranking…?" This one was shot down quickly. So he went on to the next one.

"List of TV programs… Mayumi Yamano 4/11 and Saki Konishi 4/13?"

"What are these dates?" Yosuke asked.

"Hm… What were the days that the bodies were found?" Minato asked the group. The group was curious as to what he was getting at.

"Well, the announcer lady's body was found on the first day of school… so April 12th." Chie answered.

"I can't forget Saki-senpai's. Hers was on April 15th." Yosuke answered.

"Their bodies were found after these dates listed… so what does that mean?" Minato asked.

"…They were on TV those days!" Souji realized.

"Yeah…there's no doubt about it." Yosuke agreed.

The team began to piece everything together. They asked Yukiko and Kanji when they had appeared on the TV and sure enough they had found another connection, a more logical one at that. What still confused them was the killer's motive. It seemed crazy to believe that the culprit targeted people just because they appeared on TV. They'd have to wait for it next time. The team took Kanji into the TV world to meet Teddie.

"I kinda remember this thing…" Kanji was looking at Teddie. "Didn't think it was a bear though. It's… actually kinda cute. M-Mind if I pet you?" Kanji looked embarrassed.

"No touching allowed, Mister." Teddie replied.

Yukiko laughed. Kanji was curious as to what Yukiko's inner feelings were like as well as everyone else's too. Kanji got slapped in the end though.

"Oh yeah!" Teddie interrupted. "Here's a present from me Kanji! It's to celebrate you joining the team!" Teddie handed Kanji a pair of those joke glasses that Souji recognized as the one that Yukiko had used when they brought her back to the TV world.

Yukiko seemed excited. "Hurry and put them on!" And so he did. Next thing he knew, everyone was laughing. He chucked them far away. Yukiko seemed to have remembered something.

"Minato-kun, you haven't tried these on either!" She grabbed the other pair of joke glasses in Teddie's hands… or paws.

"Uh…" Minato began to back away. "I-It's fine really…"

"Come on, try them on!" She began to chase after him. Everybody had a good laugh at that.

Souji knew he would have to get back to Social Linking sometime soon. He spent some time in the Velvet Room as if he were going to a friend's house and just hanging out. That asshole Morooka forced him into some health organization. All he did was collect information for some of the students there and met some guy that turned out to be Saki Konishi's brother. As the two of them cleaned the infirmary together, Souji noticed he seemed really troubled about something.

Souji ran into Saki's brother a few times throughout the school day. He tried to talk to him and Souji did learn a few things about him, but he just snapped at him so Souji left it for next time.

Well, if he was going to start Social Linking again, he might as well start with drama club since it was available today. And… of course when he did want to Social Link it up, Yumi wasn't around. Actually that seemed out of character for her to miss her favorite hobby. He stopped by the hospital to see if she was there. Turns out her mom really did collapse this time. She needed to let out all her problems and conflicts and Souji was there so why not? From what Souji could tell, she seemed to have parent problems too. He felt their bond strengthen.

The next day went by slowly and Souji hardly paid attention to anything around him. He seriously needed something to get himself back into gear. He heard things like campout and slave labor from his friends, but other than that, there was nothing. His friends noticed Souji's lack of enthusiasm as of late and they tried to get him to talk. Souji appreciated it, but he just shrugged it off saying he'll be alright.

He was on his way out of school when he saw Kanji peeping or something through a window of a classroom.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Souji asked with a skeptical look.

"Senpai! I wasn't peeping or anything! So don't make that face."

Souji looked inside the room. There were a lot of girls inside sewing.

'Huh… is he peeping at the girls or is it the sewing? It could be both…' Souji thought. "Ah… I wasn't accusing you or anything. I was just on my way home."

"Oh… well mind if I walk with you?" Kanji asked.

Souji was surprised, but agreed.

They were walking along the Samegawa Floodplains talking. "So, uh… Yosuke-senpai tells me that you seem depressed."

"Huh…? No not at all. Just tired of school and stuff."

"C'mon Senpai, you're actually worrying everyone with your mopey attitude. You're our leader and I respect you as a leader and a person, but you better get your ass in gear! I'm tired of school too. I mean everybody is always spreading rumors about how I'm in a gang, but then again, it's probably my own fault. I'll probably cause trouble for you guys too."

"Nah, you're a good guy. You won't cause any trouble for us."

"Senpai…" Kanji seemed happy. "If you got the time, could you hear what I have to say?"

"Ha, no problem. You've given me something to think about as well. Thanks." Souji felt a faint bond form between them.

* * *

Deidara'sgirl19: Thanks for the encouragement, I think I can guarantee at least one more or so.

Patcheresu: …What? Other than that piece of… randomness… I guess there will be more fusion spells? I sometimes forget about them honestly.

DemonRaily: Uh… it' going to turn out that way unfortunately unless you got suggestions for something else that may help avoid using a lot of OCs. At this point I'm not sure how many there are going to be so it could be a small amount or a large amount and well it would be nice to get OC suggestions because I honestly do a bland job of making OCs that will impact the story. I gotta have some kind of other villainous plot going on otherwise it's a rewrite of P4 with P3 characters and I hardly see a point in doing that. Yep.

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	19. Chapter 17

"**Shadow/Higher being speak"**

**Chapter 17**

"…More." The man murmured under his breath. He was a man that one could say was at the end of his rope. He seemed like your average suit, though his appearance suggested otherwise. His hair was a stringy mess, his tie was tattered, and his bulging eyes had a mad glint to them. He stumbled out of the train and wandered away from the staring eyes of the public trying to find a place of solace. He wandered awhile with no sense of time or place, until he began to collapse.

"I… cough… need more…" He reached into his pockets and pulled out a small case. Opening the case, he shook it until its contents fell out. A single card dropped to the ground, lost in the darkness. The man struggled to find it in his weakened state. It had been this very card that had changed his life forever. He gambled with a stranger late one night in Okina City after his boss had chewed him out and threatened to fire him. The stranger won several times, but didn't ask for anything. He pulled out a case, placed it on the table, and left the man in his drunken stupor. When he had regained his senses, he noticed the case. Opening it, he discovered a whole deck of cards that had odd designs on them. He pulled one out and immediately felt his anger and hatred towards his boss return in full force. Clenching his fist in anger, he had crushed the card. Whatever happened next was a blur. He stood over the body of his former boss and felt power surge through him. As quickly as the power came, it vanished leaving him feeling helpless… Luckly he still had more of those cards.

Not this time however. As he struggled to find the last precious card, a figure appeared from him. It was the one that helped him commit murder, but as the figure appeared, the man suddenly felt pain shooting through him. His body was suddenly disintegrating and vanished into nothingness. The figure before him let out an unearthly scream as it too, disintegrated. Nothing was left but a fading violet aura.

* * *

"I wrote down everything I need, so this shouldn't take long." Souji and Yukiko were at Junes again to buy ingredients for another one of Yukiko's experiments… er… recipes. The campout was coming up so it made sense for her to want more practice before then. Her experiments had earned the attention of those at the inn who wanted to help her practice. Souji wasn't sure what was going on with Yukiko, but he encouraged her to continue, thus their bond grew.

Souji went to visit the fox at the shrine the next day to tell her that he had completed another quest. If he kept this up maybe her services would actually keep some money in his pocket.

"Souji-kun!" Yukiko was at the shrine apparently to pay her respects.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Oh… I just come here every so often. It's nice and quiet. I visit with some of the waitresses back in the inn too. Once I leave this town… I won't be able to come here again, will I?" Yukiko had a distant look as she remembered what she wanted.

"You're… really not coming back? This is your hometown…"

"…I couldn't face my parents again if I ever wanted to come back." Yukiko was going to continue, but then a woman in a kimono walked towards them. She and Yukiko exchanged a few words.

"Oh!" She looked at Souji. "Is that the rumored boyfriend? All that hard work in the kitchen paid off, huh?"

'What's she talking about?' Souji thought.

Yukiko blushed in surprise. "I-It's not like that!" The kimono lady had a good laugh and teased Yukiko some more. Even after she left, Yukiko was still red, which seemed kind of cute to look at. She seemed okay after awhile though.

"The others always try to help me, even if it meant using their break and time off to do so." Yukiko remembered all the fond times she had with those that helped her practice her cooking. After remembering that, she felt guilty for leaving them all behind for her own reasons. Souji felt their bond strengthen. After Yukiko had left, Souji conversed with the fox before he left for home.

On his way home, his phone rang. It was a text message from Minato.

"_Go to Velvet Room. Margret wants to talk."_

This sparked Souji's curiousity. It was rare that he was ever requested to come to the Velvet Room, so it was best that he did. Upon entering, he noticed that there wasn't a usual greeting from Igor, probably because he was not there. Minato, Elizabeth, and Margret were sitting nearby though.

"Welcome… to the Velvet Room. My name is Minato and I am delighted to make your acquaintance." Minato chuckled a little too similar to a certain long nose man. Elizabeth giggled.

"Hilarious." Souji rolled his eyes, though he smiled. "You've been spending too much time here, you know that?" Minato just smiled.

"Could you please leave us now? I wish to speak with him alone." Margret interrupted.

"Right…" Elizabeth grabbed Minato and left the Velvet Room.

"…As you can see, my master is currently away. There must be meaning in our meeting here alone."

"Or you might've asked everyone to leave? That's a possibility too."

Margret gave a short laugh before continuing. "You may be the first person who has ever been welcomed here by someone other than my master. The Velvet Room is inseparable from the heart of its invited guest. This room changes based on the number of guests and their destiny. Shall we chat?"

"Well, we already are technically." He felt faint bond form between them.

Margaret also felt that the two of them had formed a faint bond. "It seems you have several Social Links already. By deepening your understanding of one another, your bonds strengthen, but sometimes the heart is shaken more by a single action than a thousand words. Do you understand?"

Souji was about to nod when he remembered what he felt every time he Social Links with someone. "Actually… I don't really understand. Every time I form new bonds, I feel stronger and I like the power it gives me… Is that wrong?"

"I… cannot say. Social Links are a means of strengthening your Personas and by doing so you become stronger yourself, but to give into that feeling will mean facing another side of you. A side you know should not exist, though it seems that side of you has begun to cultivate within your very soul…" Souji bit his lip knowing something like this seemed very possible.

"…As I strengthen the bonds I form, the person becomes closer to me… but I feel no closer to them. The power I gain from strengthening my bonds with them is there, but I don't feel the rush as I did when I first formed a bond with them. Instead, I'm left with the bitter feeling that I'm just using my friends to further my own power."

"That is not the Social Links doing. If anything is to be blamed, it would have to be you. You are an individual who is afraid to willingly become closer to others even though they become closer to you. You feel like you are using them because you don't become closer to them." Margret explained. "And so by the time this journey ends, hopefully you will have become another person, one that is willing to open up to others."

Souji stayed silent. 'This… is my fault? It's… true. After all, the others always talked about themselves and I always listened because I always wanted to help out anyway I can. I focus on their problems and never thought to tell them my own problems. Knowing this… could I really talk about myself? Somehow, I don't think I can…'

"Your inner conflicts and the strand of fate you follow… Entangle me within it as well. Perhaps you will be able to find the answers you seek. You are an interesting one… I would like to know more about you… this way, I may be able to help you…" She gave him an encouraging smile. Souji thanked her for the advice, said goodbye and left. Maybe he could try…

* * *

"I'll be back in a bit!" If he was going to try, it might as well be now. Ai had told him she would be right back so Souji waited by the lockers. Kou and a couple of his buddies showed up as he waited. The three students, seeing Souji and Kou together, seemed to have reminded them that they were both on the basketball team. With that subject brought up, they began to talk about Ai since she was the 'manager' of the team. The conversation about Ai went from casual, to gossip, to vulgar and Souji felt disgusted about how they talked behind her back like this.

"Cut the crap, guys. You don't even know if that stuff is true." Seems Kou was pretty offended as well. The other guys dropped it and ran off. "Sorry about that. I know you two are pretty close."

'Really? When did that happen?'

"Those guys aren't usually like that." Kou finished.

"It's fine. If you hadn't intervened, I might've punched them out just for talking about someone like that."

"Well, alright then. See ya!" Kou walked away. As soon as he was out of sight, Ai came back with a hurt expression on her face.

"…Did you hear that?" Seems she did. She tried to brush it off as nothing, but it wasn't very convincing when she still kept the same expression on her face. He felt their bond strengthen. It didn't feel too bad this time around.

* * *

Yukiko gathered Yosuke, Chie, and Souji so that they could go to Junes and buy ingredients for the campout.

"What do you put in curry again?" Chie asked. She and Yukiko were picking out ingredients while Yosuke was doing something else on another floor. Souji was minding the cart as the other two decided amongst themselves.

"Are radishes… the same as turnips?" Souji didn't know much about Chie's cooking skills, but by the sound of it… it sounded really bad. Yukiko's been practicing though. With Yukiko it might turn out…

"What about some seafood? That should make the sauce taste better." Yukiko said getting excited.

'Bad… really bad. Wait did I hear chocolate earlier…? Well… Yosuke can have it.' Souji thought.

* * *

"Hey, I was thinking of making coffee. How do you take it?" It was the night before the campout and Dojima _knew_ that making coffee at night would help him and Nanako sleep better at night…

"Uh… Surprise me?" Souji said uncertainly. It seemed Dojima was having a good time. He said to go watch TV while he finishes with the coffee. He talked a little about his wife and that surprised Souji. It was unexpected honestly. He felt their bond grow stronger though. As the three of them watched the news, Souji noticed that Dojima had an angry expression gradually appear on his face. It seemed to be in reaction to the news about a hit and run. He told Nanako to shut the TV off and he left the room. Nanako told Souji that her mother died in a traffic incident of some kind. She didn't know much about it though. He went to sleep that night. Well… he tried to. It was difficult with the caffeine running through him.

It was a pretty hot out, yet Morooka made them clean up the trash on the mountain. The group was spread out in different locations. The closet one to him was Yosuke, who was trying to drag a bike down the mountain side. Chie and Yukiko were elsewhere. Souji picked trash off the mountain and sweated while doing it. It didn't help that he couldn't sleep last night either. He picked up pieces of trash until he decided to break. He sat down and sifted through the trash nearby him and threw them in the bag he was carrying. He suddenly stopped when he saw something. It was a card.

* * *

Hero Slayer: "A little choppy"? I expected much worse than choppy honestly. I think some parts are overall just terrible, but that just might be me, but thanks though. Persona 3 is a pretty great game!

Thanks for the continued support!

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	20. Chapter 18

"**Shadow/Higher being"**

**Chapter 18**

Souji reached out to pick up the card, though he felt hesitant for some reason. He reached out for it regardless. As soon as he touched it, he wanted to jerk his hand back as if he touched something that burned, but his hand grabbed it anyways. He immediately felt an indescribable rage surge through him, but he was able to contain it. Examining the card, he realized that it looked like one of his Persona cards. At least from the back it does. It had the same mask that appeared on the back of all of Souji's Persona cards, but the smile on the mask was twisted into an ugly grin. Instead of the normal blue that was usually on it, there was a violet color. Turning the card over, the front was blank, but Souji swore he saw eyes peering through the card for a second.

"Excuse me!" A voice called out. Souji, startled, immediately threw the card into the trash bag as a man with white hair wearing a black suit and a red tie came up to him. He didn't look that much older than Souji was. "Sorry to bother you, but did you see any suspicious characters around here?"

"Suspicious?" Souji gave him a confused look.

"Well…I'm sure you are aware of the recent murders that took place in Okina City, correct?"

Souji nodded.

"We've been able to track down a suspect. Several people in the area claimed to have witnessed someone that matched the description of the suspect."

"I see… I'm sorry, but I can't help you here. Are you a cop?"

"You could say that. I'm still learning the ropes though. Anyways thank you for your time." He waved a gloved hand and left. Once he was out of sight, Souji dug through the bag to find the card again. He couldn't find it however, which confused him. He was sure he had tossed it in the bag when the guy came around. Souji shrugged it off and continued his slave labor.

* * *

"Ugh, picking up all that trash was murder on my back." Yosuke complained. It was late afternoon around dinner time. The rest of the day was uneventful. "I can't believe someone threw away an entire bike. Damn it, litterers should have to deal with their own garbage. Anyways, time for dinner! Man, I'm starvin'." Yosuke seemed excited for dinner. He seemed to expect something spectacular.

"You can have mine as well." Souji replied.

"I can't wait to dig in!" Oh Yosuke, if you only knew. Awhile later, Yukiko and Chie brought a plateful of the _curry_ and placed it in front of Souji and Yosuke. Yosuke didn't seem to notice the unusual color or the awful smell and so he dug in right away.

'Wait for it…' Souji thought expectantly.

"Cough… ARG!" Yosuke sprayed everything he just put into his mouth onto the table. Yosuke was lucky that none of that hit Souji, otherwise…

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!" Yosuke was pretty upset about the food. He went on and on. "It's so frickin' nasty I can't even swallow it!"

'Ha, too bad Yosuke. I'm glad I knew beforehand that this was going to turn out bad. Wait… Why are they looking at me like that…?'

"I'm telling you as a friend… Don't do it. I wouldn't even joke about trying that slop!" Yosuke said. Souji gave the girls a look and well… they gave him an expectant look.

'…Damn.' Souji took the spoonful of the stuff and put it in his mouth. Ohhhhh man…

* * *

"How the hell did you end up here?" Yosuke asked. Souji and Yosuke were hungry like you wouldn't believe it. Kanji came to their tent earlier when Morooka told them all to go to bed.

"My teach threatened to hold me back if I didn't show and the first-year's tent is all quiet, like someone died. Is it just you two in this tent?"

"The other guys called in sick. Smart move…"

"So it's okay if I hang out here?" Kanji looked to Souji.

"Stay as long as you like." Souji shrugged. Kanji thanked him. The three of them talked about a few things like school. They were settling into bed when Yosuke decided that he wanted to get a few things straight with Kanji.

"This is as good a time as any, so… I-I want you to be honest with us. Are you really… you know?"

"Am I really what…?" Kanji replied slowly.

'This is not going to end well Yosuke…' Souji thought listening to the two of them converse. 'Wonder what Minato's doing right now.'

"…Are we going to be safe alone with you?"

'Damn Yosuke…'

Well in the end everybody in the tent got a bit too excited and carried away. Yosuke and Kanji began to argue and ended with Kanji running outside towards the girl's tent.

"Nice Yosuke… very nice…"

* * *

Back in Inaba, Minato was returning back to the Velvet Room after he had finished eating at Aiya's. Souji and the others had left for camp and wouldn't be returning until tomorrow. It was nighttime and there were little to no people out. There was someone up ahead though, but Minato ignored him and walked past him.

"You… Minato Arisato…?" Minato immediately turned around and stood ready, expecting the worse. "Relax…I'm not here to fight…" Minato took a good look at the man before him. He looked to be older than him, probably early twenties. His tall frame was clothed casually. A black buttoned shirt that he left open with and white shirt underneath it. He wore glasses and had black hair. His stance was also very casual, hands in pockets, and was slightly slouching. He didn't seem very dangerous at first glance, but if he knew Minato's name…

"So how do you know my name…?"

"Do you not recognize me?" The man gave him a sad smile. Minato shook his head. "My name is Shakku Kurogane. Was your memory loss that bad?"

"Am I supposed to know you?"

"Of course!" Shakku was smiling now as he got excited. "Remember those times we had fighting Shadows with SEES. We were comrades and friends all the way to the end… when you died. We should make preparation to go see your friends again!"

"Haha… I can't wait to see them." Minato gave a friendly laugh before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his evoker. He pointed it at Shakku, a look of seriousness expressed on his face. "Tell me who you really are first!"

"Whoa, what are you doing, Minato?" Shakku looked scared.

Minato narrowed his eyes. "…You tried being a convincing actor, but you gave yourself away at the very beginning. You asked me about my memory loss… How could you have known that? Also, how did you know of my existence? If you were really my friend, I'm sure I would've recognized your name since my phone still has the names of all the friends I've made in the past, yet none of them happen to be yours."

"I don't… have a cell phone."

"Well okay, you've refuted that point easily, but the others still stand. Now who the hell are you?"

"C'mon Minato, put the gun away… no need to be violent. Let's talk…"

"Hm… you should know something. This isn't a real gun. If you were really in SEES, then you should know what this is. Your charade is at its end. Now tell me who the hell you are!"

"…Heh. Fine… You got me then. I guess I didn't look into you enough." Shakku reached into his pocket and pulled out a round object. Minato couldn't really see what it was since it was dark. He tossed it in the air and everything turned dark. "Now we can talk without any disturbance."

"This… feels like the Dark Hour…"

"Of course, though it's only a likeness of the real thing. A zone if you will, affecting the area within a five mile radius. The area within it experiences its effects while time marches on outside of it. Anyone who's in it or enters the area experiences its effects unless you are _gifted_ or can resist its effects.

"Why would you have something that could recreate the Dark Hour?"

"I'll tell you straight up. I'm a bad guy of sorts, but I rather not have the prying eyes of regular people watching as I go about my business of causing havoc. You are a mysterious one. I've watched you for awhile now, but you always seem to disappear off the face of the earth." There was silence after he had stopped talking.

…

…

…There was still silence. "Hey, aren't you going to keep talking some more? Like why are you stalking me and stuff?"

"Hm…? Oh right… Well I got nothing else… Oh wait. Okay I'm supposed to test your ability now." Minato immediately felt power surge from Shakku. A spectral figure appeared behind him. It held a sword with the blade shaped like a lightning bolt in one hand and a wheel held like a shield in the other. Its face was masked and the lower half of its body was covered with a robe that was white and the edge of the cloth was aligned with gold. "Hehehe… this… is my Persona, Taranis. Aren't you shocked?"

"Persona… but how did you summon it?" Minato was surprised. This man defied all pieces of logic that he had come to learn about Persona. He didn't need to forcibly evoke it. He seemed to have effortlessly called it out using nothing but willpower. It was different from how he and the others summoned it. Shakku's answer was a lightning bolt out of nowhere which he quickly jumped away from.

"Hehe, get your ass in gear, won't you?" Shakku taunted.

Minato held the Evoker to his head. "Black Frost!" Shattering echoed around them and the Black Frost summoned cast an Agilao that directly hit Shakku's Persona. Taranis flinched, but still stood strong. The smirk on Shakku's face was replaced by a serious one.

"Zionga!" Taranis released a lightning bolt which grazed Black Frost. Minato was unsure of how to fight other Persona users. It's not like he ever fought the others or anything, not that he remembered anyways. He could feel the hits that Black Frost was taking and he was sure it was the same for Shakku. Minato commanded Black Frost to put some distance between the two and cast another Agilao. This time Taranis was ready for it. He immediately dodged it and cast another Zionga on Black Frost. Black Frost faded and Minato fell.

"Pathetic… You might've got me at the beginning of this battle, but you're far below me in power. If this is all you could do then it's not even worth testing you. You can die here!"

"…King and I." Minato murmured.

"What…?"

He held the evoker to his head. "King and I!" There was a flash and before Shakku knew it, he was in a world of pain. As he fell he looked over to see that his Persona was crushed by a giant snowman thing.

"Damn it! What the hell kind of power was that?" He shouted.

Minato got up and summoned Sati to heal his injuries with Diarama. He was exhausted. 'What do I do now? I need to get to the Velvet Room and get the others here…'

"…It's not over yet!" Shakku snarled as he got up slowly. He parted his shirt slightly to reveal a small card case strapped to his belt. He opened it up and pulled a card out. "Now, you are dead!" He crushed it, and immediately Minato could tell that this was very bad. The power output he felt earlier was nothing like this. It was at least double in power. There was a malicious aura surrounding Shakku that lashed out everywhere, smashing everything around him, including Minato.

Minato looked up to see Shakku's Persona, Taranis appear once more also sporting the same aura as his master. He couldn't move from his position as he watched in horror as the two of them approached him.

"Well… Arisato? Anymore of your tricks left? If you don't, I might as well end this…" He gave off and evil laugh because that's what all great villains do before they attempt to finish their opponents off.

Minato quickly summoned Sati to attack, but Taranis had dropped a destructive lightning bolt on Sati who immediately disappeared. Compared to the previous Zionga, this one was a lot more destructive.

'I'm doomed… aren't I?' Minato thought.

"**Not quite…"** A flash of light separated Minato and Shakku and in front of Minato was his Compendium. It was glowing slightly and then it opened, flipping through its pages rapidly. And then… it stopped. There was a loud roar and a Persona appeared. It held a sword in a white gloved hand and coffins surrounding the upper half of his body in a semi-circle formation. The head seemed to be in the shape of some kind of predatory creature of the Jurassic times.

"Who the hell are you?" Shakku shouted. He looked at Minato. "What the hell is that thing?" Neither Minato nor the Persona answered so he had Taranis attack. The new Persona instantly dodged the lightning and went in for the kill. He used his sword to cleave Taranis and it faded instantly along with the aura that was surrounding Shakku.

"What… are you?" He asked, weakly looking at the figure.

"**I go by many names. For you, I am Thanatos or Death." **He raised his sword approaching to kill Shakku, but before he could Shakku reached into his case and pulled a card out and threw it at Thanatos, who quickly slashed it and the card immediately disappeared. He then quickly got up despite his weakened state and ran away using his fear as his source of mobility.

"Leave him be…" Minato said weakly. "It's not worth chasing him down right now. …So you are Thanatos? You look like the Persona in my dreams…"

"**For you, I am Pharos or Ryoji and…your friend. I've been slumbering within the sea of your soul for a long time."**

"Sorry, I don't remember you." Minato said regretfully. "But thanks. You saved me."

"**Thou art I and I am thou. You're me and I am you. Remember that? I do not know you, but I feel your strong connection with Death. Somehow, I know you and so I answered your call."**

"And you decided to drag the entire Compendium with you?"

"**Whatever works right?"**

"I think you and me will get along fine." Minato smiled.

* * *

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	21. Chapter 19

"**Shadow/Higher being"**

**Chapter 19**

It was a nice sight. Clean air, small little waterfall, sunny weather, two girls in swimwear, clean river… yep… Too bad Yosuke and Souji were watching all this in a freezing river. They heard a shriek from above as they watched Kanji fall into the freezing river too.

"Wh-What was that for? I didn't do anything!" Kanji shouted while shivering. They all heard the sounding of heaving from upstream. Chie said that it was King Moron.

"Senpai…" Kanji started.

"Don't say it…" Yosuke said slowly. They scrambled out of the freezing river and went home feeling cold and disgusted.

* * *

"How was the camping trip?" Nanako asked.

"Great… made friends with a cop, ate some great food, had a nice sleep, and a great swim."

"I wanna go!"

'No…you don't…'

Yosuke stopped by his house the next day. It seemed that he wanted to hangout so they went to Souji's room. "Hey… how are you holding up…?" Yosuke was shifting his eyes around awkwardly.

"Let's… never mention the trip again. Ever."

"Good idea…" Yosuke changed the subject and looked around the room. "Your room's pretty clean. So you keep the goods under your futon?"

"Of course not! That's way too obvious man. Keep them in sight, but out of it at the same time." He looked to his shelf. Yosuke seemed to find it funny.

"So ever invited a girl here?"

"Huh… never really thought about it. I guess sometime soon?"

"So you're working on it?"

Souji gave a shrug. Nanako came by asking for some things before leaving for her friend's house.

"Well time to take a look at the goods!" Yosuke exclaimed moving towards the shelves.

"…Get out." Souji felt their bond strengthen.

* * *

"So, you guys seen the news?" Kanji asked. It was early morning and the investigation team, minus Minato, was gathered around Souji's desk.

"News…? Oh, that stuff about Rise Kujikawa?" Chie asked.

'Rise? The Rise that Michi mentioned?' "Is she that popular?" Souji asked.

Yosuke gave Souji a surprised look. "Dude what's wrong with you? She's all over the media!"

"Excuse me then!" Souji crossed his arms.

"I think she used to live here, so she must have a lot of local fans." Chie said.

"The news said she's going to her grandmother's tofu shop right? Do they mean Marukyu?" Yukiko pondered.

"Probably one and the same." Souji replied.

The team figured that Rise fit the pattern of the murders and figured she would likely be the next target. Yosuke seemed to be a little too excited about the idea of keeping an eye on Rise.

After school, some guy, Souji vaguely remembered from somewhere came and told him to go to the infirmary for a health association meeting or something like that. Souji had honestly forgotten he was in that.

"I heard that Konishi is exempt from homework. Is it true?" A girl in the committee asked.

"Man, that is so unfair." One of the other students complained.

"Can we just get these things done? I rather you not talk like this behind a person's back." Souji was annoyed.

"Er… right…" After that the committee got their work done and parted ways from there. During that time, Souji realized that the Konishi kid from last time didn't show up even once. He shrugged it off and started his way home. He saw the guy on his way out, though. He had a sad expression on his face and told Souji that he was sorry for not showing up. He tossed him a handkerchief because he saw that Souji's shirt was slightly dirty. He then proceeded to walk away.

"Huh… Why are you being so sincere today? Last time we talked you pretty much just shoved me off." Souji asked.

"It's nothing…" The guy left.

* * *

"Hi… Souji-kun…" It was Yumi; she seemed to be walking back from the hospital.

"Haven't seen you around in awhile… What's up with that?"

"I just… came from Dad's… that man's room at the hospital. He looked at me and smiled like he was happy. He's nothing, but trouble!" She tried to sound angry, but was as sad as ever. "Why do I have to go through all of this…?"

Souji stayed silent. He couldn't really understand how she felt. She didn't seem to mind his silent response. In fact, she seemed glad that Souji was listening. She went home saying that she had to get some medicine to her mother. Souji felt their bond strengthen.

Chie called all of them that night to remind them to watch the Midnight Channel since it was raining tonight. Souji vaguely made out the shape of a feminine figure. Souji would be lying if he said that he didn't think anything of what he saw. Basically, in simpler terms… IT WAS AWESOME! Souji hadn't seen anything like it since Yukiko's crazy hormones. Yosuke called soon after. Apparently, he had the same thoughts too. Can't blame him, they were both guys after all. He was sure that it was Rise Kujikawa. They agreed to investigate the next day after school.

Souji got a call from Minato saying there was something important they had to discuss. Souji told him that they were going to do some investigation on Rise first. Afterwards, they would have their talk. Minato agreed to meet up with them by the tofu place. Chie and Yukiko had their own plans, so they left investigating up to the guys.

The four of them headed to the Shopping District after school where they spotted Adachi standing behind a crowd of people directing cars away from the shop. "Huh? Um, Mr. Detective, di-" Yosuke started.

"His name is Adachi, you know." Souji interrupted. Yosuke gave Souji an annoyed look.

"So, did something happen?" Yosuke continued.

"Oh, it's you guys. These gawkers keep streaming in with their cars, trying to park in the middle of the Shopping District. Probably cause Rise Kujikawa is here."

"So why is a plainclothes detective doing traffic control?" Kanji asked.

Adachi seemed a bit intimidated by Kanji, so he hastily finished his explanation and left. Soon after, Souji saw his uncle step out of the shop looking annoyed.

"What are you all doing here?" Dojima asked suspiciously.

'Naturally that would be the first thing my dear uncle would ask…' Souji thought. "I guess we came to see Rise…?" Souji shrugged.

"…Fine. Remember, she might be a celebrity, but this is her home. Try not to bother them too much." Dojima finished his piece and left in search of Adachi.

"That cop's your uncle, huh? What the hell was that all about? Are you guys under suspicion?" Kanji asked.

"Well they did take us in once…" Yosuke said.

"It was all Yosuke's fault by the way." Souji replied. "I mean who the hell waves lethal metal objects around?"

"Okay, okay, I get it." The crowd around the tofu shop had begun to clear up when Minato arrived. The crowd complained that Rise wasn't there. Yosuke seemed the most disappointed, but they went inside to buy some tofu anyways.

There was one person inside that they saw and she was working in the back, so they couldn't tell who it was.

"'Scuse me!" Kanji called out to the person in the back.

"Yes, may I help you?" It was Michi. She came from the side as she approached them. "Souji-chan, how nice to see you again and you brought friends with you."

"Good afternoon." Souji greeted back politely. At this point Yosuke realized that if the old lady was here then the other one must be…

"…What?" The girl in the back replied flatly. Yosuke seemed to be in shock, so Kanji took over.

"Are you Rise?"

"Yeah. So?" Yosuke instantly snapped out of it and ran forward. Minato stepped forward to talk with Rise as well. Souji stayed behind to converse with Michi.

"Sorry about the disturbance. I know the last thing you want is for people to flock around your granddaughter."

"Nonsense. It's quite alright. I wanted you to meet her eventually. Your friends seem to have a good head on their shoulders. Please go speak with my granddaughter; I need to do a few things." Michi turned and left.

"So yeah…" Minato started as Souji came up behind him. "Yosuke seems to be making a fool of himself. Rise doesn't look too happy does she?"

"Not at all. Maybe she's stressed from showbiz or something."

Rise went to get the tofu that Kanji had ordered. "H-Have you noticed anything weird lately?" Yosuke was still trying to calm down.

"Weird…? Like stalkers? Are you guys' fans of mine?"

"I wouldn't say 'we', but yeah, dude here's a big fan." Kanji said pointing to Yosuke. You are awesome Kanji.

"You little…! Why'd you let that slip?"

"Her curves, her posture, even her beautiful slim legs… Ya finished checkin' them out yet, or what?" You are better than awesome. What's better than awesome? Epic? Almost Kanji… almost. Either way, he got Yosuke riled up. Yosuke mentioned the Midnight Channel, and she already seemed to know about it.

"Wait… What? You mean you saw it last night?" Yosuke replied in shock.

"I heard some rumors, but that girl last night wasn't me. I've never been filmed wearing that swimsuit before… and well the bustline… mine aren't that big."

"Oh… I see what you mean now…"

'Nice Yosuke. Brilliant.'

He stuttered an apology, which Rise found to be funny and making Yosuke ecstatic as a result. Yosuke ended up explaining a little about their investigation to Rise. She gave them a little bit of extra tofu as thanks for worrying. They decided to leave the shop since they did their investigating already and nothing came up yet. Minato dragged Souji to the Velvet Room after they bid goodbye to Yosuke and Kanji.

"Okay, so what is this all about?" Souji asked, looking around at everyone present in the Velvet Room.

"There… was an incident while you were away on your school trip." Minato started. "Some guy claimed to have known me in my previous life and well…" He recapped the events of his battle with Shakku.

"He had a Persona and he was able to summon it in this world?"

"Somehow he was able to without an Evoker or any means of summoning it. The other thing is the power that he unleashed when he was backed into a corner. He pulled out a card and crushed it as you guys would when you fight in the other world. It was an incredible, unnatural force. I would go as far as to say an evil power. Without Thanatos' timely intervention, I wouldn't be here talking with you now."

"Wait… this card…" Souji reached into his pocket and pulled out the Persona card he had found during his school trip. "Would it be something like this?" He heard gasps around the room. "Guess so…"

"I had sensed a great change in you when you first entered the Velvet Room today." Igor had his eyes closed in concentration. "You have been tainted by the card's power…"

"But… I haven't used it or anything yet…" Souji became nervous.

"Perhaps, there is still a chance for you yet…"

"Can I see it?" Minato asked.

"No, don't touch it!" Margaret hissed. "Once you've made contact with it, you can no longer turn away from the power it holds."

"I've heard of Personas being awakened purely by one's negative desires. A Persona is a façade of yourself that braves hardships. These Personas are born when one has _faced or resolved_ to overcome their inner darkness. These other Personas however, are not born by facing one's self, but by _bringing forth_ their inner darkness. They are made through despair, greed, and of course, hatred." Elizabeth explained.

"You must somehow get rid of it before you are lured into using it." Igor warned. "However, do not merely toss it away. Doing that will only further spread the corruption like a plague."

"How can I? The other thing I noticed about it is that it always reappears no matter where I put it. On the day I found the card, I had thrown it away and when I looked for it, I could not find it. When I got home, I found it in my pockets and no matter what I do, it always reappears no matter where I go…"

"You must not let its power sway you. The Black Tarot will act upon your greatest desires until you are tempted to use it."

"That's what you're calling the cards now?"

"Indeed. Personas that are born from one's negative desires are much like Shadows. They seek to kill others in order to awaken a personality of their own. Unlike Shadows however, these Personas will completely drain all human personality. They feed upon untapped Persona potential and successfully kill both host and Persona leaving their bodies in a horribly transfigured state." Igor explained.

"Okay, fine. So what do I do then? I'm screwed or something because I picked up this card, right?"

"Perhaps you can resist its beckon and learn to control it… but do not intentionally try to do so. More than likely, you will be consumed."

Souji became silent. There was nothing he could say or do. He'd have to do the best he could at the moment. He left the Velvet Room and walked home nervously.

"You should keep an eye on him." Igor said to Minato after Souji had left. "There's no telling what he can do. His destiny is an intriguing one. Perhaps his destiny will also end with his death and… if that should happen; it should be by your hand. Do you understand?"

"How could you ask me to kill someone, and my friend at that? It's not in me to do such a thing." Minato was appalled.

"You do not want him to turn against you. He has great potential and he may become much more powerful then you once were."

Minato sighed. There seemed to be no other choice. He'll avoid it… if he could help it.

* * *

Patcheresu: Oh yeah I did respond to that. At that time I wasn't sure what you meant. I was thinking something along the lines of skills, but wasn't sure.

Kaizer23: Thanks, though it'll be awhile until Minato actually encounters anybody familiar to him. Be patient though.

Thanks everyone else for the continued reviews! I appreciate it whether it is deserving or undeserving.

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	22. Chapter 20

"**Shadow/Higher being"**

**Chapter 20**

"Hey Kanji-kun, you still with us? You haven't said a word yet." The investigation team was at their special headquarters. They had gathered to discuss the previous day's events as well as new theories… but as always, nothing makes sense.

"Wha…? Well, um…"

"You weren't sleeping were you?" Chie asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Of course not… I was, uh… lost in thought…" This discussion seems promising. Oh man!

* * *

The investigation team headed over to the tofu shop where they would begin their stakeout. They had run into Adachi at the store and when they told him they were heading to the tofu shop, he claimed to be heading there as well. While Adachi headed into the tofu shop, the rest of the team stayed outside and acted casual to avoid suspicion.

"Don't stop! The culprit might get suspicious!" Yosuke hissed to Kanji.

"But we've walked past here like a thousand times already…" Kanji complained.

Yukiko let out a gasp and pointed upwards. There was a man with cameras around his neck. He was climbing the telephone pole outside the tofu shop. As soon as he realized he was spotted, he slid down the pole as fast as he could and ran for it. Naturally, the investigation team, plus Adachi, ran after him. They chased him until he stopped by the intersection at the end of the street.

"D-Don't come near me!" The suspicious man shrieked.

"Shut up! What kinda idiot would listen to-" Kanji started.

"I-I'll do it, you know! What're you going to do if I get run over?" As he said this, a few cars speedily passed him.

"If the suspect gets injured, the police will be held responsible… They'll get real angry…" Adachi said urgently.

The suspicious man began to back further into the street. He was nearing the speeding cars. "Damn, what do we do, Souji?" Yosuke asked.

"Well… maybe we should get behind him somehow?"

"Let's just take him down!" Kanji suggested.

"How are we going to do any of that? He's right by the street!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Okay, here's the pla-"

"Look over there! It's a dino with a sword!" Minato shouted. The man turned around.

"Well, that works too." Souji shrugged. The four of them jumped the guy and dragged him out of harm's way. They began to accuse him of being a murderer and interrogated him. The man didn't seem to understand what was going on and began to panic. Adachi did his police thing and cuffed him. They all proceeded to head back to the tofu shop.

"Hey, we should let Rise know the good news!" Yosuke said happily.

Michi came out of the tofu shop. "Hello, would you like some tofu?" She asked kindly. She realized that it was Souji and his friends. "Oh, did you come to see Rise-chan again? She seems to have gone out, unfortunately…"

"But wasn't she just here?" Yosuke asked.

"She does that sometimes, she'll just wander out without a word… even as a child. You must forgive her. She's worn out in many ways."

The investigation team all looked at each other with slightly panicked expressions on their faces. "We should split up and go look around for her before jumping to conclusions." Souji thanked Michi and the group split. They frantically looked around and asked people in the area if they had seen her, but to no avail. They then met back at the tofu shop.

"Maybe, we're just not looking in the right places… but where could she have gone?" Chie pondered.

'It's never really is over… is it?' Souji thought. 'I definitely think that we got the wrong guy. Perhaps she's been…'

"Well we did everything we could. No use griping about it. The weatherman says it's gonna rain tonight, so let's keep our fingers crossed and tune in." Kanji suggested. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

'Hm… I thought it was a weathergirl… Kanji must be watching a different channel.'

* * *

The image on the Midnight Channel was quite… vivid that night. Yes, very… vivid… It was honestly hard to pay attention to what she was saying, though her screeching happy voice wasn't easy to ignore either. After the show, Yosuke called. Basically Yosuke was like 'oh man' and stuff and said that it was crazy. What he probably meant was that he wanted to see more.

After school the next day, the team immediately headed into the TV world. They found Teddie with a sad expression on his face. He seemed really depressed.

"I'm sorry… were you lonely?" Yukiko asked.

"I was bored. It made me all listless. I'm a useless bear. I don't even know what I am. I couldn't figure it out… No one would visit me… Then I thought I heard voices from your world. They were all having so much fun. I was so lonely that I tried to cry, but I couldn't…" Despite the look of disbelief on everyone's faces, it was quite moving to some extent.

"Well, you're hollow inside…" Yosuke pointed out once again.

"Shut up! Stop saying I'm hollow!" Well, he seems okay now...

"Anyways, can you sense anything? We think a girl named Rise Kujikawa showed up."

Teddie wasn't sure that he could tell her location currently so like last time, he needed some kind of hint. Back to the real world then, was everyone's thoughts as they began to exit one by one.

"There are a lot of things I don't understand…" Teddie muttered to no one in particular though Souji overheard him.

"We'll find out together, alright?" Souji said smiling.

Teddie seemed happy. He found a new resolve of trying to find his identity. Souji felt a faint bond form between them. 'Really now…?'

* * *

"Alright, where to start?" Souji thought aloud. Inaba was a small place, but there were still a lot of options. Souji guessed if he had to find a clue anywhere, he would start by talking with Michi of course. He headed to the Shopping District where he greeted her.

"Something about my granddaughter? Well… She might be my granddaughter, but I'm not quite sure what would represent her. Sorry, Souji-chan…"

"It's alright… I'll ask elsewhere then."

"Oh, I don't know if this will help, but there was one of those papa rat things around here. You might be able to find something out from him." That might actually be useful. Souji's phone rang. It was Minato.

"Hey, there's one of those media people around the floodplains. I would talk to him, but I don't have the slightest idea what I could say to interest him."

"Well, think of something. What would make someone like him interested? It would have to do something with his job probably… Wait! I'll go ask around some more, but keep the guy in your sights." Souji hung up and headed to his school. If he could find something interesting about Rise, it would be where many of the students were Risette fans. He talked to many of the students, but nothing he heard would grab the attention of the media. However, the thing they all said that was in common was about Rise's sudden departure from the media world and possibly her state of mind. He gave the info he learned to Minato, who replied that the guy suddenly left. He told Souji that he would come back to the floodplains tomorrow and talk with him. He passed the message along to the rest of the team.

As he was leaving school, he saw Saki's brother staring out the window. "Hey…" Souji greeted as he approached. He realized he still didn't know the guy's name even though they had a few encounters already.

"Oh, hello… Is there something you want?"

"Just saying hi… Oh!" Souji reached into his pocket and pulled out the handkerchief that Konishi's brother passed along to him the other day.

"You could've just thrown it away…" He said as he looked at it. "…It was my sister's." Whoa! He introduced himself as Naoki Konishi. He apologized for telling Souji that he hated him. He felt a faint bond form between them.

"After that last health meeting, I was pretty much 'fired' and they told me not to come to the meetings anymore. It's my own fault… If it's alright with you, can we hang out again sometime?" Souji nodded and they parted ways there.

* * *

Souji received a message from Minato after school the next day. It said…

"Manufactured identity, normal self, idol self, and true self." Souji said, repeating Minato's message to the rest of his friends.

"Alright, so Teddie should be able to work with this right?" Yosuke asked.

"Well, it's quite a few clues. We should head for the TV world now." Yukiko replied. The rest of the team nodded and set out for Junes.

"Did you find out more about this girl, Rise-chan?" Teddie asked Souji.

As Souji conversed with Teddie; Minato, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, and Kanji were chatting about something.

"You know something? I'd like to take my time to say that you guys are just amazing people." Minato said.

"Huh…? That was kind of sudden and random for one thing…" Yosuke said, giving him a weird look.

"I know, but it's true. You guys have such a strong passion to solve this mystery, you know? I admire that. A bunch of high school kids united to solve the mystery of the hanging bodies…" Minato sighed. "Compared to you guys, I feel like an outsider despite the fact that I too wield the power of Persona. I don't have any real reason to be helping you, yet I do it because… you're my friends after all… Ugh what am I saying…?

"You getting sappy on us?" Kanji said wide-eyed.

"It's okay! You are as much of a part of this group as anyone else here is." Chie replied.

"Yeah, don't doubt yourself." Yukiko added.

Minato felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Souji. "We never thought of you as an outsider, so why should you?" Minato stayed silent after that. "Hey guys! We're going now!" Souji shouted. The rest of the team followed Teddie and reached a dark area. It didn't last long though. The lights flashed on and revealed a very bright magenta pink room with curtains everywhere.

Chie gazed around the room. "Whoa… is this a…?"

"Oh, like the kind you always find in resort towns?" Yosuke smirked.

"Huh. So this is a strip joint, eh?" Kanji also gazed around the room. It seemed like everyone had the same thoughts.

"Strip? Aha! It's the thing zebras have, right?" Teddie exclaimed. "Right? Right?"

"I don't know what's worse. Jack Brothers or Teddie… Hope they never team up…" Minato muttered.

The team entered the strip joint. They drilled the basics of combat into Kanji as they fought Shadows and went up the floors. They had a little scare as some birds almost knocked them out with Hama.

Teddie told them they were nearing Rise once they got to the third floor. They scoured the floor until Teddie sensed Rise's presence beyond the curtain. Yosuke went up to the curtain and pulled it back dramatically as the team entered.

"It's Rise!" Yosuke shouted.

"Wait… it must be her other self!" Souji warned. It was her Shadow judging by the eyes. She stood in the middle of the room with a microphone in hand.

"**Hello, all you fans out there! Thanks for coming today! Today you're going to see every last inch of me! Oh, but you won't be able to see with all this smoke, huh? Okie-dokie! Just follow me a little further in and I'll prove that I'm every bit as good as my word!"** Souji gave out a cough as he saw the sign above Rise's Shadow.

"W-Were we like that…?" Kanji said slowly. "That's… going kind of far…" All around them the noise of the crowd was wild.

"**When we come back, you'll get a good long look at the real me! Maru-Q!"** Rise ran off with the team giving chase. Three floors later on the sixth floor, Shadow Rise turned off the lights, slowing down the team's progress. The Shadows on the floor had nearly overtaken them a few times since the team could barely see ahead of them. They looked around blindly until they stumbled into a room. There was a giant snake slithering around in the room.

"Well, let's do it like always! Let's surround this thing!" Souji ordered. Souji began with Rakunda, while the others would attack and Yukiko occasionally healing them. The Amorous Snake would inflict them with poison occasionally whenever it used Virus Wave. It didn't hit particularly hard, but it was tough to take down. However, Souji had discovered the snake's weakness as he cast fire at it, knocking it down for everyone to rush in.

"Yukiko! Minato! If you get the chance we'll need to cast fire on this thing!" The two of them nodded in confirmation. Overall, the battle wasn't all that difficult once they began to exploit the snake's weakness. Of course, once the team thought they had the snake; it began to change its pattern of attack. It unleashed a Mind Slice and would occasionally confuse the others. It really hurt to get kicked by Chie and be sliced by Minato's sword. Souji, himself, fell to confusion and blindly attacked his teammates.

"Senpai! Get it together!" Kanji shouted to Minato, Chie, and Souji. "Sorry about this!" Kanji raised his fists and punched Minato and Souji effectively clearing up their confusion. Yukiko gave Chie a hard slap to snap her out of it. The battle continued, but victory was in sight for them. Yukiko delivered the final fire attack that finished the snake off.

"Is everyone alright?" Souji asked, looking around at his friends. None of them seemed to have made it out without some kind of injury. A few Dias and Medias later they were all fine in appearance, but were still somewhat exhausted.

"It's alright, we can keep going." Yosuke said determinedly. Everyone seemed to share his view, and so they kept moving up the floors.

* * *

'**This is it.'**

'Huh? Who…?' Minato thought.

'**Don't tell me you've forgotten already? We just met the other day.'**

'Thanatos! No… Ryoji… How is it you are speaking with me like this?'

Minato felt as though Ryoji just gave him a smirk. **'I'm always with you. Did you not know that?'**

"…Creepy."

"What's creepy, Minato?" Yosuke asked. Minato realized that he had said that last part aloud and by doing so, everyone was now looking at him strangely.

"It's… nothing. I think we're about to arrive to the final floor. I… can feel it."

Well during those couple weeks, I found a beta that has exposed so many grammar mistakes and such that it's almost shameful… My beta is RionAgrias and he has betaed the first three chapters of this story. Of course, nothing major changed. I followed his advice the best I could, but sometimes it's difficult to change things up so if it still doesn't seem any better, it's most definitely not his fault. Well that's all for this one.

* * *

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	23. Chapter 21

"**Shadow/Higher being"**

**Chapter 21**

The team ventured into the room. It was a circular room with a single strip pole in the middle and flashing lights. In the center both Rise and her Shadow were there. One Rise was on the ground shaking and the other one was making use of the stripper pole.

"Please… Stop this…" Rise pleaded.

"**Oooh, she wants me to stop. That's so funny!" **Shadow Rise taunted. **"As if that's even close to what you're really thinking, you little skank! You're me and obviously, I'm you!"** Yes, yes of course.

"No… that's not true…"

"**This is me! This is who I really am! 'Risette'? Who the hell is she? There's no such person in this world! I'm no one but myself! C'mon, look at me! I guess it's time to prove it. I'm gonna show it all off! Let my naked truth be burned into your brains!"**

"Well… there's really no point in stopping this whole 'you're not me' process anymore, right?" Minato asked.

"It would save us some strength and energy to stop it… but then again facing your other self is something that we all need to do at some point in our life. Otherwise… we would be living a lie. This girl really needs help, and she can start bettering herself by facing herself." Souji replied.

"You're… not me!" Rise screamed. There we go… After the transformation, Shadow Rise was a huge lady who hung on the pole. Its body was very rainbow-like and would probably hurt to stare at for too long. To add another striking feature, it also had a huge satellite for its face.

"**I am a Shadow… the true self… and now the moment you've been waiting for! It's time to show you every last inch of myself! And for our guests in the front row… I'll give you extra-special, extra-intense service!"**

"Okay, so aside from that last comment, it seems she did have issues of her own after all, but we'll stop her from going berserk!" Yosuke said.

"Rakunda!" Souji began. He crushed the card, and summoned Sarasvati lowering Shadow Rise's defense. With this, the rest of the team could deal some intense damage. The Shadow used an Agi that singed Souji. Compared to damage they had taken before in previous fights; the light fire attack barely did anything to harm them.

'**Careful… This one is different.' **Ryoji warned.

'So far, we're not having any problems. We might get out this one unscathed.' Minato thought as he summoned Sati. Shadow Rise launched a Maragi which was a little more difficult to get over. It hit Chie, who was knocked down, and the Shadow followed up with an Agilao to Minato, which his current Persona blocked easily.

'Intense fire… that would've hurt a lot.'

'**I warned you…'**

'Why can't you help me out? You're a fricken beast. You'll slaughter that Shadow in no time!'

'**I may be your Persona, but I don't have to listen to you. I'll help you if I feel like it. I'm not like your other Personas who will obey without question. I don't recognize you as my master or anything. I helped you last time because I want to survive. If you die, I disappear. Besides, use this as a way to get stronger. You can't rely on me all the time."**

The Shadow cast Maragion next, which Chie was able to guard as to avoid being knocked down. The rest of them besides Minato were hit pretty heavily. Yukiko and Souji went on healing duty after the last attack, while Kanji, Yosuke, and Chie dealt damage to the Shadow; Minato alternated between the two. The Shadow changed tactics and used a Mabufu which, with Sati, had knocked both Minato and Yukiko down as well. It followed up with a Bufula on Souji, who successfully dodged it.

If anything, this Shadow was real tough even though Souji continuously cast Rakunda on it. It still felt as if they were making little progress in taking it down. The constant attacking began to wear the team out. Suddenly there was a green light surrounding the team.

"What the hell just happened?" Kanji shouted.

"Teddie, can you tell us anything?" Souji called out.

"I'm not sure… Try to attack it!"

Minato switched to Black Frost and cast an Agilao on it. It was powerful, but it completely missed the Shadow. The team attacked it using their Personas and weapons, but nothing seemed to be effective on it. While nothing hit the Shadow, it continued to hit them with a variety of spells that hit all of them.

"What's the deal here? Our attacks keep missing." Chie said exhausted.

"Damn, it's like it's anticipating our every move…" Yosuke added.

"I-I'm completely useless… I'm sorry guys…" Teddie cried.

"Don't worry about it Teddie. We can't do anything either…" Minato said, trying to console Teddie. There was another flash of green light. "What the-?"

"That power… I think it's scanning us! This is not good!" Teddie shrieked.

"When you say 'not good' what exactly does that mean?" Kanji asked.

"It means we're screwed…" Minato answered.

"**Analysis complete! Okay, here comes my counterattack! See if you can dodge, hmm?"**

"Damn it! Brace yourselves!" Souji shouted. There was a flash of light and everyone was knocked down, exhausted.

"You gotta be kidding me…" Yosuke said in disbelief.

"How're we supposed to win…?" Chie murmured.

'What do we do… This isn't supposed to turn out like this… Damn it.' Souji silently cursed. He tried to think as clearly as possible, but the situation seemed hopeless unless some miracle happened.

"A-Are we… going to die…?" Yukiko asked, scared.

Minato cursed slightly under his breath. He reached for his Evoker once more, but could not bring himself to shoot it in his current state.

Souji looked around at his comrades, his friends. He couldn't let them die. He had a responsibility to keep them safe as a leader. He felt something vibrate in his pocket. He could tell it wasn't his phone for sure. He reached into his pocket and touched the Black Tarot he was forced to keep with him at all times. He felt power radiating from it.

'**Do it…' **A soft voice echoed in his head. **'Embrace this power and you will rise to new heights… Save your friends… That's enough reason to use it…'**

Souji slowly pulled the card out. He wanted to save them… but it would mean betraying the trust of his friends as well. By embracing this power, he would be turning his back on Igor, Minato, Margaret, and Elizabeth. They who had warned him repeatedly… He looked over to Minato, who met his eyes. He seemed to understand what Souji was thinking and frantically shook his head. There was a power struggle within his mind and he used what willpower he had to suppress the urge he was feeling.

"No! You guys can't die!" Teddie shouted, breaking Souji out of his thoughts. "What can I do…? Sensei…"

"Teddie… you have to get out of here! We don't all need to die here. We don't have the strength to continue, but you do. Use it and get everyone out of here. It's my fault it ended up this way. I should've made more of an attempt to stop Rise from getting this far. You guys… need to live!" Souji ordered. "I'll make the heroic sacrifice, if you don't mind…"

"This is no time for jokes!" Yosuke shouted.

"Hell no, Senpai! We ain't leaving you here to die!" Kanji shouted back. "Shit! It's winding up again!"

"**Okie dokie, here we go again! Goodbye… forever!"**

Souji closed his eyes. This was the end… according to the Shadow.

"Take a good look… at Teddie's last stand!" Wait what? Souji opened his eyes again and saw Teddie with a determined expression on his face standing in front of them. He began to charge up and a yellow aura signified that.

"Teddie! The hell are you doing?" Kanji shouted in disbelief. Teddie let out a rawr noise… well it sounded more like…

"ROAAAAAAAAWR!" Teddie charged the Shadow and there was a flash of light. The flash was a warm feeling that restored Souji's energy. He was sure it did the same for the others. When the flash faded, Teddie was lying flat on the ground like a rug. Oh wait… he is flat like a rug.

"Did I… did I help…?" Teddie croaked out.

"You didn't just help, you saved our lives!" Yosuke exclaimed gratefully.

Teddie stood up, wavering a bit. "Nooo… my fine silky fur… I was so proud of it! Waaah…" Everyone grinned a little. They turned back to Rise, who was slowly getting up.

"Where… am I…?" Rise looked up to see the investigation team gathered near her. "I'm sorry… It's all my fault…" She stood up and faced her Shadow. "Here… stand up. I'm sorry… you must've been in a lot of pain up to now. You're part of me, but I kept refusing to admit that you existed. I was trying to figure out who the real me was, but I realize now that I was on the wrong track. There's no real me. It doesn't exist… All of them are… me." The Shadow faded and returned to Rise.

"Rise has faced her other self… She has obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona Himiko!"

"Wow with all the craziness that happened; I almost forgot about that." Yosuke commented. Rise began to stumble. "Rise-chan careful!" Yosuke went to help her as she fell.

"I'm alright… You're the one who came to the store right…?"

"Oh yeah, and these guys came with me."

"Ahem! You guys came with me!" Souji pointed out.

"Cough… erm… yeah… Cough." They had a good laugh at that. They all introduced themselves to Rise. Rise was about to reply when…

"There's… no real me…?" Teddie murmured.

"Get back! Something's coming out of him…!" Rise warned.

"**Real? Me? Such foolishness…" **A deep voice called out. A moment later, a Teddie came out from behind the real Teddie. This Teddie was much larger in size and had the yellow eyes belonging to a Shadow self.

"What is that thing…?" Yosuke asked slowly.

"Is that the other Teddie? His hidden thoughts…?" Chie asked.

Teddie was alarmed when he realized there was a large figure behind him. **"The truth is unattainable… It will always be shrouded in fog. Though you reach through the murk and the gloom to grasp something, you have no means to know it is the truth. In which case, why…? What sense is there in yearning for the truth? Close your eyes. Lie to yourself. Live in blissful ignorance. It is a much smarter way to exist."**

"What're you talking about? I don't understand a word you're saying! You're just making it sound difficult because I'm not that smart!" Teddie shouted.

"This guy is really cryptic. We need to stop this now!" Minato said. Everyone shouted out to Teddie, but it seemed he was only listening to his Shadow.

"**You have no lost memories. If you have forgotten anything, it is this truth. Shall I spell it out for you? You are but a mere-"**

"I said shaddup!" Teddie screamed. He charged the Shadow, but was immediately thrown back. The Shadow looked at the investigation team.

"**It is the same for you all… You undergo suffering because of your search for the truth… Especially… you." ** The Shadow looked to Minato, who glared at it. **"This world is filled with thick, heavy fog. How can you find something when you know not what you search for?"**

"There's always a way to find it. It exists somewhere. That's why we won't let you stand in our way!" Souji replied.

"…**It is beyond my comprehension. Then I will grant you one truth. You will all die here. You sought the truth, only to find death."** The Shadow transformed to a giant Teddie that sat in a hole. Rise encouraged them to continue and would use her newly gained Persona to help. She would essentially take Teddie's role as an analyst and give them information on the Shadow.

"**I am a Shadow… The true self… I shall give you the 'truth' you claim to hold so dear. The inescapable fact of your death here!"**

"Shut up! Rakunda!" Souji began. Everybody got into their battle stances and began their offensives. Chie used Rampage, Yosuke used a Sonic Punch, Yukiko and Minato both casted an Agilao, and Kanji hit the Shadow with Kill Rush. Despite their combined efforts, the Shadow appeared to be unfazed by the damage. It was going to be a long battle.

* * *

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	24. Chapter 22

"**Shadow/Higher being"**

**Chapter 22**

The battle was simply tiring. Shadow Teddie seemed to be getting tired and damaged as well, but it was taking the damage a lot better than the investigation team did. Currently the battle seemed to be slowly progressing, with damage to both sides and the constant attack was slowly wearing everyone down. As the battle progressed the Shadow began to charge energy into the palm of its hand.

"What…? I have a bad feeling about this…" Rise said worriedly.

"What should we do Rise? Are we in immediate danger?" Souji called out.

"Just keep going. That attack takes some time to charge up so keep at it." She replied.

The team continued to bash at the Shadow with their attacks, but cautiously watched as the Shadow charged its energy.

'**It's about to attack. Defend yourself.' **Ryoji said.

"It's… It's going to attack! Get ready!" Rise shouted. The team quickly threw up their guard as the Shadow released its stored up energy. A wave of dark miasma brushed the team, but was ineffective with their guard up. At that point, the threat from the attack seemed over, and so the battle continued. At some point in their long battle, the Shadow began to show signs of fatigue. Perhaps it meant the end of their battle was near, but it could go either way with the team so exhausted from the battle. Luckily for them, it went their way. Souji delivered the final blow with his sword and the Shadow let out a rawr…

The Shadow collapsed and reverted back. The team let out a sigh of relief and collapsed on the ground with exhaustion.

"I… I don't know who I am…" Teddie muttered getting up from the ground.

"You and me both Teddie…" Minato replied.

"I've thought a number of times… that maybe there is no answer, but I'm here… I live here…"

"I'm sure you'll find it. You're not alone in this." Souji said.

"Sensei… Will I really find it?" Everyone nodded and encouraged Teddie with comforting words. "Y-You guys! I'm… I'm one lucky bear!" Teddie began to cry. Behind Teddie, the Shadow faded and retreated back into Teddie.

"Huh… I didn't think I would have to say this twice in one day, but… Teddie has faced his other self… He has obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona Kintoki-Douji!" Souji announced. Everyone let out a sigh.

"Is this my Persona?" Teddie asked.

"I can sense strong power from it. It's awesome, Teddie…" Rise said tiredly. She fell to the ground, but Souji caught her as she did.

"Let's hurry outside!" Yosuke suggested quickly.

* * *

"I said this before, but… I can sense something special about you, Sensei." Teddie said as Souji was leaving the TV world. It was just him and Teddie talking, while the others were exiting. "There must be something that only I can do. That's how I feel when I'm with Sensei. That's why I'm gonna get stronger! To find my special thing!" Teddie resolved. He let out a determined rawr… Souji felt their bond strengthen.

"Good luck, Teddie. I'll see you later." Souji replied with a smile.

* * *

"He's back!" Nanako got up from the table and started running toward the door, but suddenly stopped.

"Whoa, there! Careful now, Dojima-san." Adachi was carrying and obviously drunk Dojima into the house. Adachi asked Nanako to get Dojima's futon ready and then laid Dojima down on the couch where he continued to speak nonsense. Adachi was pretty much translating Dojima's nonsense into intelligible words.

"The kid said, as long as he can be of assistance in solving the case, he won't require a reward." Apparently, the two of them were talking about some hot-shot detective that was sent down to Inaba from somewhere to help solve the case. Souji thought it would be best to leave before Dojima said something to him in his drunken state.

"And you!" Dojima shouted drunkenly to Souji. "You'cn take your share of the blame, too. Always wandering around the crime scenes whenever somethin' happens…"

* * *

Naoki asked if they could hang out after school today. Well sure, Souji didn't really have any plans that afternoon and he had to wait for Rise to recover and stuff anyways.

"Hey, you came…" Naoki seemed somewhat happier. The two of them talked as they headed to the Aiya to get something to eat.

"I usually eat there a lot because it's so close to our place, but for some reason, I haven't eaten here recently." Naoki said as they entered the Aiya.

"Hello, what can I get you? Hey it's Souji-kun and Naoki-kun. I haven't seen you two in awhile. Oh, how business has suffered without you two!" Tetsu cried dramatically.

"Your business isn't suffering, Tetsu-san. You always say that to get your loyal customers to come back again." Naoki replied rolling his eyes.

"Well, I tried." Tetsu shrugged. The two of them ordered ramen and talked while they ate. Naoki explained that the neighbors and people around them are always giving his family pity because of their loss. He apologized for talking about these things, and Souji felt their bond grow stronger. The two of them finished their meal and left. Before that, Tetsu stopped them and called Souji over.

"Will you be seeing Minato-kun later?" Tetsu asked.

"Well, I could always stop by. Is something the matter?"

"Well… somebody dropped this off the other day and said to give it to the person addressed on the card. The person then left. Imagine my surprise when I saw Minato-kun's name on it!" Tetsu finished, handing the envelope to him. Indeed the envelope said Minato Arisato on it.

"Alright, I'll be sure to get this to him. Thanks for the meal!"

"What was that about?" Naoki asked.

"A delivery of sorts. I'll talk with you again. See you!" Souji waved and left down the street toward the Velvet Room.

"Welcome…" The usual greeting came.

"What brings you to the Velvet Room today?" Margret asked.

"It's for Minato." Souji handed the envelope to Margret. She looked at it before passing it along to Minato who was sitting nearby. He slowly opened the plain white envelope and read…

"Tatsumi Port Island." Minato read surprise evident on his face.

"Oh, it's that place! You showed me around that place. It's where you lived before. I think I mentioned that before." Elizabeth exclaimed.

"I do recall you mentioning something like that once. I guess I didn't pay much attention when you said it before." Minato said, muttering the last part.

"What was that?" Elizabeth asked.

"Um… nothing. Anyways, that's all the letter says. What is it trying to say?"

"Perhaps your destiny requires you to dive deeper into the world around you." Igor suggested.

"I should go to this place? That's what you are suggesting?" Minato asked and Igor nodded. "I need to think about it." He turned to Souji. Gather everyone tomorrow and I'll… let them know as well.

* * *

"_Meet at the roof."_ That was the message that Souji got and relayed to his friends at school. He gathered the team minus, Teddie and brought them to the roof. They found Minato lying on the bench, staring at the sky with his left leg propped on his right knee, hands behind his head, and listening to his music. As they approached, Minato turned down the volume, but did not move otherwise.

"Hey… so what's going on, Minato-kun?" Chie asked.

"…Have you made your decision?" Everyone looked at Souji, confused.

"Yeah… I have. It's a simple decision, but I felt a deep struggle on deciding what to do…" There was a silence.

"Anybody want to explain what's going on?" Yosuke said, interrupting the silence.

"Tatsumi Port Island. It's… where I'm from, I believe…"

"Huh? You remember where you're from? That's great… dude…" Yosuke then fell silent.

"Port Island is a ways off from here isn't it…? It's not somewhere you can continue to go back and forth from…" Yukiko realized.

"Senpai… are you saying that you're leaving…?" Kanji said.

"I thought about it. I want to find myself. After that battle with Shadow Teddie, I realized how much of what he said was true. Every day that I don't learn the truth about myself, I suffer and lose myself. It might not be a bad thing to let go of the past completely and live in the 'now', but I know that won't be the case. I have too many questions that I want answered and unfortunately staying here… won't help me find them…"

Souji let out a sigh. "When are you leaving?"

"What? Souji-kun! You can't seriously just be letting him go off like this without even trying to convince him!" Yukiko cried.

"It's… his decision. He wants to do this and… as his friends we have to understand his wishes. I rather not have him go, but sometimes we all have to sacrifice something to gain something."

"I'm really sorry, guys. I appreciate all that you've done for me. I mean, I did kind of come out of the blue, but the person I am now was shaped by you guys. I was practically nothing when I first met you. Always silent and blank, but I feel like I've become a lot more of a person now." Minato got up to stand. "I'll be leaving sometime soon." He looked around. Many of them had pained looks on their faces. Some of them looked like they were struggling not to cry.

"We'll send you off with a big party!" Souji said, struggling to smile. The others nodded as well.

"Thanks…"

* * *

"…Then Masaya made up an excuse for why he was late, and he said, 'the wind was really strong'." Naoki was joyfully telling Souji a story about one of the students in his class. Souji had to admit that it was a pretty funny story. The kid in the story was such a smartass. Souji needed something like this to take his mind off of Minato's departure. The moment passed when they overheard two ladies gossiping about Naoki's situation. Souji merely scowled at them, but they didn't take any notice.

"No, it's okay… They aren't worth your time…" Naoki said, trying to smile. "Sorry, I probably made you feel uneasy."

Souji shook his head. He felt their bond strengthen. They went home for the day.

The next day after school, Ai dragged Souji up to the rooftop. Being on the roof again reminded Souji of what took place the other day. He brushed it off though. She wanted to thank him for defending her against those vulgar jerks. She was grateful towards Souji, but she seemed to have fallen for Kou since he was there as well.

"Do you think maybe I'm his type? O-Or do you think he hates me… people like me?"

'Honestly lady, I don't know.' "Have some confidence, why don't you?" Souji replied. Souji felt their bond strengthen.

"All I need you to do is… ask him what's his type. That's it." 'Oh man… you serious?'

* * *

Kou had told Souji that he was missing practice today to go to the orphanage. So after school, Souji and Daisuke went to the train station to wait for him. Kou was surprised to see them there. Kou didn't find anything out at the orphanage, but he did receive a letter. It was a very sad letter. Not a good time to talk about girls.

"I was half expecting something like this, but… it's still pretty shocking, you know? I have no one…"

"You know that is not true, right?" Souji said. Kou laughed weakly, but agreed. Souji felt their bond grow stronger.

* * *

Souji met with Minato in the Shopping District on his day off. "Want to head to Aiya? It's going to be awhile before you go there again…"

The two of them met Kanji on his way in and they decided to all eat out together.

"Oh, how business has suffered without all of you!" Tetsu cried dramatically. They all rolled their eyes and ordered.

"So… Souji-senpai, where are we going to have this party?" Kanji started.

"Let's do it at my place. I'm sure my uncle and Nanako-chan won't mind as long as I clear it with them. We'll have Yosuke pay up for everything." The trio had a good laugh.

"Aren't you Kanji Tatsumi? What are you doing here?" A voice said from behind them. Kanji seemed to recognize him as a cop. Kanji didn't like the cop's attitude, and apparently the cop didn't like his. The cop left in the end anyways.

"Tch, they're always saying I'm doing something suspicious… Meh, I'm used to it. Sorry for getting you two mixed up in this." Kanji said apologetically. Souji felt their bond strengthen.

"Hey Chief, the food ready yet?" Kanji called out.

"Huh? You ordered something, Kan-chan?" Tetsu said in mock confusion.

"I told you not to call me Kan-chan!" Kanji was shouting at Tetsu.

"Seems like Tetsu-san knows everyone around here doesn't he?" Souji remarked.

"Yeah, he's a good guy. I'm going to miss his food more though!" Minato joked.

"Tch! I'm gonna tear your store apart so fast you won't have time to file for insurance! Oh, uh, well…" Kanji realized what he had just said. He had just promised to try and change himself. "I'm gonna tear it apart and rebuild it twice as good! I-I'm gonna RENOVATE your ass!" Kanji seemed proud.

"…Sound good to me." Yep, good ol' Kanji. He's always helping out the community.

* * *

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	25. Chapter 23

"**Shadow/Higher being"**

**Chapter 23**

In a couple days, Minato would be leaving Inaba. The investigation team wished that they didn't have to go to school in order to spend some last moments with their friend. Either way, Minato hadn't been around since Souji had last seen him at Aiya. They sent him messages, but he would reply that he couldn't because he was busy with packing and other affairs. Their party would take place this upcoming weekend and Minato would leave the next day. For now though, Souji focused on getting his Social Linking done and planning out the next couple days.

Souji and Naoki were walking together in the Shopping District when a lady stopped them. She looked worried for Naoki and was scolding him like a parent would. Naoki seemed really annoyed with her as she blabbered on. Souji was about to reply that it wasn't any of her damn business, but Naoki stopped him before he could.

"If you weren't here… I would've been in a predicament. Since my family runs a business here, we have to stay on good terms with the neighbors, so I can't yell at them. Thanks… really." Naoki said gratefully. Souji felt his gratefulness and felt their bond grow stronger. Naoki was about to return home, but decided against it as they continued their way to Aiya.

"I was thinking about quitting school." Naoki said suddenly as the two of them ate. "I might take over the liquor shop. I'm not really interested but… what that lady said earlier about families uniting…"

"It's… a good idea. You have a family that cares for you. I think if you at least have that, then it's a good idea." Souji replied. 'Family, huh…'

The rest of the time was spent eating while Naoki depressingly told Souji his thoughts on how life was since his sister died. He felt their bond strengthen again. They parted ways there and went home for the day.

* * *

The weekend was coming up and Souji sent many messages to Yosuke to bring lots of food and drink. The group pooled a bit of money together and gave it to Chie, who would go get a really nice going-away gift that was from all of them. Kanji had tagged along with Chie; Yukiko insisted on helping Souji with cooking some of the food. Souji would have to watch her carefully.

Souji was not really planning to do anything else that day and wanted to rest but for a change; Naoki decided to invite him out. They've been hanging around a lot as of late, but Souji didn't mind. He felt the nagging feeling fade somewhat, but the more he Social Linked, the more it felt like Power Linking to him.

"I told my parents my plan… but they were really against it. They told me to live the way I want to and do whatever I want. It's the same at home and at school with the activities and everything. Everyone says that I should do whatever." Naoki let out a sigh. "Am I really that pitiable…?"

Souji listened and gave him what advice he could, but no matter what he said Naoki remained depressed. He still felt that the advice reached him since their bond grew stronger, but he was really starting to bum Souji out.

* * *

It was the day before Minato's departure and no one had seen him at all. Either way, Souji was going to the Velvet Room and dragging his ass out of there. Souji wanted to go home and relax, but Ai stopped him and asked him what kind of girl Kou likes.

'Oh right…' Souji thought as Ai dragged him to the roof.

"S-So did you ask…?" Ai asked nervously.

Souji was trying to remember what Kou had said during one of their practices. I love them balls… no… that wasn't it… something about nice girls? "He said he likes… nice girls." Souji replied vaguely.

Ai obviously wasn't satisfied with the answer so she demanded that Souji go confront Kou and ask him who he likes. Souji raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in tone, but complied anyways.

By some luck, Kou ran past him as he went downstairs to the third floor. He was heading towards the bathroom.

"Oh, hey Souji. Man, I've gotta piss like a racehorse." He said urgently.

"Wait. This is sudden, but do you have a crush on anyone?" Souji asked plainly with a blank expression.

Kou flinched in surprise. "Huh? You wanna know who I like? Er… this is awkward… well… um…" He didn't really want to say.

"C'mon this will be between you and me." 'Sorry man… I'll make it up to you.'

"A-Alright, but I'm only telling you this because I trust you, man. Don't tell her! In fact, don't tell anybody!"

'Yeah… I'll make it up to you…'

"…e-san." Kou mumbled.

"…Could you repeat that?"

"Chie-san, dammit! Are you happy now? And while I'm at it, let me tell you, I'm goddamn jealous that you sit next to her in class, you lucky bastard! Anyways I gotta go!" Kou ran into the bathroom.

'I… did not expect that…' He heard footsteps going upstairs in a rush. 'Oh no… don't tell me she heard all of that?' Souji ran up the stairs and back to the roof.

"Don't come any closer!" Ai shouted. She was standing on the other side of the safety fence and at the edge of the roof! This did not look good. "Chie, as in Chie Satonaka, right? That frumpy girl? I… I got beat out by THAT? I'm a hundred times better-looking!"

Souji glared at her. 'How dare you talk about my friend like that?' Good thing she had her back turned. He didn't want her to jump off, especially since she was just acting like this out of anger and sadness. "Please calm down…" Souji said as soothingly as possible. She started to cry and stepped away from the edge. Souji let out a sigh of relief. They talked as she settled down. Despite her attitude, she led a life that was unbearable for her and she had to change herself to make herself feel better. She just wanted to be loved to summarize it all.

"I should've fallen in love with you…"

'…What? Oh… that was sudden. I'm not ready for this. What the hell? Oh wait… she said "should've".'

"Haha, just kidding…" Ai laughed slightly.

'Okay, I thought so…'

"I-I'd like it if you would though…" Ai looked away blushing.

"Sure." 'What? Souji, what the hell are you doing? Referring in third person now? I'm going crazy! I'll need to look for a way out of this…' Souji felt their bond grow stronger. They parted ways and went home.

* * *

'Today… huh…' Minato thought as he stared at the roof of his room from his bed. It was Saturday morning and Minato had yet to get up. The party thing would be happening this afternoon and he really didn't want to get up to go. Had he made the right choice in pursuing the truth instead of sticking by his friends? They understood, but he knew that they had all bonded together really closely and didn't want him to leave. Knowing that made Minato happy, but he had made his choice and he really didn't want to see his friends until there was no turning back. He had avoided them thus far, but eventually someone would drag his ass out of the Velvet Room. There was a knock on his door.

"Hey, it's a big day for you today!" Elizabeth said happily. Minato groaned.

The Velvet Room had several different rooms that branch out through different doors. Each of these doors resembles the entrances to the Velvet Room that are placed in the outside world, but they all connect to the main room where Igor resides. There are doors that lead to the bedrooms, the kitchen, dining area, and basically every necessity to live in comfort. Igor had explained at one point that the Velvet Room had many more guests and residents and the Velvet Room was made to fit all these accommodations. Now though, only Igor, Elizabeth, Margaret, and Minato resided here.

"You're friends are going to want to see you off today!" Elizabeth continued. It seems he had no choice but to face them. He had no idea when he would come back to Inaba again, but he would. The trip to Port Island from Inaba would only take several hours and some money.

"Yes… okay." Minato grumbled. He heard her walking away. 'Time to get up and go, I suppose.'

Minato met up with Igor in the central room. "Good morning. Once you have reached your destination, you will be unable to return to this room for quite awhile. Do not fear, we are working on establishing a new access at your destination so you may still come back anytime. There is no guarantee that it will be done by the time you get there, however."

"Thank you. At least I won't have to worry about finding a place to sleep." Minato nodded gratefully. He bid Igor goodbye and left the Velvet Room. It was not the after school hours yet, but Minato headed to Souji's school anyways. It was lunch time so everyone was out and about in school when Minato got there. He boldly walked in, camouflaging with the other students as not to draw attention. A few of the students gave him odd looks, but other than that, no one bothered him. Now… don't run into any teachers.

"Senpai!" A familiar voice called out. Kanji came up running to him with a look of surprise. "Where've you been and what the hell are you doin' here?"

"Ah yeah… sorry. Was feeling a bit under the weather you could say. I honestly don't know why I'm here. I just am, I guess…"

"The party's not until after school and it's only lunch time. What are goin' to do till then?" The bell rang signifying the end of lunch.

"I'll find something. You should get back to class, Kanji." With that Minato walked away from a confused Kanji. He headed upstairs with crowds of other students. He eventually came to the roof. It wasn't too long ago that Minato had told the others his decision right here in this very spot. He always liked to spend time on the roof. It always felt like there was some significance to it, but it might've been his imagination. He lay down on the bench, put his headphones on, cranked up the volume, and closed his eyes. He wasn't sleeping however. He just had fallen into a deep thought of what to expect when he arrived. Time passed, who knows how long? It ended when he was awoken by a tap on the shoulder.

"Wake up, dude." It was Souji and the rest of the team standing behind him with smiles on their faces. "C'mon, this is going to be a proper sendoff. We can't have you sleeping here the entire time." He held out his hand which Minato grasped and Souji pulled him up to his feet.

"Let's go then." Perhaps this won't be as bad as he thought.

* * *

"Are you really leaving?" Nanako asked with a sad expression. Minato, Chie, Yosuke, and Kanji were gathered around the table in the living room waiting for the food that Souji and Yukiko were making. It was a silent affair with little excitement, but the team didn't care.

Minato nodded in response, not trusting himself to speak. He didn't want to say anything that would cause Nanako to cry or make promises that he might not be able to keep.

Nanako ran over to Minato and gave him an affectionate hug. It was a surprise for Minato and for everyone who was watching. "Um… I don't think I ever thanked you for helping me when I was sick. You and big bro were really great for helping me… Um… will you… come back again?"

Minato knew he would. "Of course, it's a promise I won't forget." Nanako seemed to brighten up a bit at that. At this time, the food was being set out. There were a variety of dishes both domestic and international. There was sushi that Yosuke had brought from Junes. There was steak, which was the town's specialty, and Chie insisted on having some. There were also some pastries that were made in the western countries that Souji learned to make. It was a nice spread that everyone was happy with. The time was spent eating and reminiscing about a lot of things. Nanako had fallen asleep before it was even seven o'clock from all the food and talking, and was sent off to bed.

"Sorry, I couldn't stick around until Rise-chan got better. I'd like to know if we got any new information on the case." Minato said regretfully. "I wanted to stick around until the case ended, but who knows how long that would be…"

"Its fine, we'll keep you updated if anything new comes up." Yosuke replied. "You're still part of the team whether you're here or not."

"Ha… thanks Yosuke. I'm really glad I got to know you guys. I'll find the truth for myself and then we'll meet again."

"Oh right, we got you a gift!" Chie took out a bag and placed it on the table. Minato reached inside and pulled out a small box roughly the size of his head. He opened the box to reveal some kind of device. It was a bit smaller than his mp3 player that still hung around his neck, but it was also much wider. It had a black and blue color scheme with tints of red around it as well.

"What is this? I've never seen anything like this before…" Minato looked in wonder.

"Of course you haven't, it's custom made and it is the only one of its kind! We all put together some money to get it." Chie said happily.

"Yeah, we met this lady, who seemed to have been visiting a friend of hers near here and well basically she hooked us up. We told her that we were trying to find a gift for a friend that was goin' away and she asked us a few questions about what kind of things he liked. We mainly mentioned music to her." Kanji explained.

"She was really nice though. She took us to an electronics store and bought a few devices. She told us to come back here tomorrow and she would have something for the both of us." Chie continued. "So the next day we came back and she gave us a box. We opened it and that device you're holding was there. She basically took an mp3 and a phone, took it apart, added a few things to it, and combined them together into that device that you're holding. She was some genius; I swear I've never seen someone make anything quite like this before. I wanted to pay her for it, but she insisted that it was something she wanted to do. She accepted the money in the end since we insisted so much. I don't know much about technology, but even I can tell that is some pretty high tech stuff."

Indeed, Minato could tell that much. He pressed a button and the top flipped over to reveal a touch screen with a complex menu of sorts. He liked it already. There seemed to be a lot of things on it, but on the surface it only seemed like a phone and a music player. He would have to mess with it during his trip. He took the strap off his old mp3 player and placed it on his new device and put it around his neck. He then plugged his headphones into it.

"I can't believe this… It's amazing. I really can't say thank you enough. How can I possibly accept this?"

"Just think of it this way. Every time you mess around with it you'll remember to call us everyone now and then!"

"Heh, if I knew you were going to get something this amazing, I would've never gotten you that phone a few months ago." Yosuke joked.

Minato smiled. "I really did appreciate that gesture though. We only just met then and you were kind enough to get me one. Here you can have it back. Perhaps you can pass it on to someone else when the time comes. Let me just get the SIM card out of it…" After that he passed it back to Yosuke, who pocketed it.

"So Yukiko… did you really make these pastries?" Yosuke asked, grabbing the ones that just came out of the oven and biting into it.

"I helped Souji with his batch that we finished earlier and he helped with mine, but I insisted that I could do it this time." Yukiko said. "The ones that just came out of the oven were all me… Yosuke-kun?" Yosuke had fallen unconscious.

"Er… I think that ends today's party. It's getting pretty late. I think it's going to rain too." Souji interrupted.

* * *

The next day Minato headed out to the train station fairly early in the morning carrying a backpack and a sports bag over his shoulders. They contained memories of this place as well as objects of his previous life. It also contained clothes, as well as his Persona Compendium. He would be without his friends so he wanted to be prepared as much as possible. He approached the train station where he saw his friends in the distance waving for him to get over there. His train would apparently be arriving soon.

"Well, I don't have much to say other than thanks, but I think I said that enough yesterday." Minato said sheepishly.

"Its fine, I think we wrapped up everything yesterday. This is all goodbye stuff now." Souji replied.

"We're going to miss you…" Yukiko and Chie gave him a friendly hug.

"Well… thanks for everything…" Kanji gave him a man's hug, literally almost crushing him. Kanji's a huge guy man…

"Don't get into any trouble now, yeah?" Yosuke held out his hand, which Minato shook.

"You know, you always were a lot more powerful than me. I felt jealous, but that faded once I got to know you as a friend. I feel I should apologize for that." Souji also held his hand out and Minato shook it as well.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I got your back anytime. Just promise that you won't be tempted by anything." Minato was referring to the Black Tarot that Souji still held in his pocket. The others were somewhat confused, but they let it go as nothing important. "Say bye to Teddie and Rise-chan for me won't you?" The train had arrived and Minato stepped on. He gave his friends one last look before the train began to move away from them. The train picked up speed, turned a corner, and at that point; he could no longer see them.

Minato sat down in a seat by the window. He flipped open his device, which he named NecroPhase because of his death-like circumstances and revival. It also didn't help that he had Death living inside of him.

'**Hey…' **Ryoji rolled his eyes.

'Been awhile since I heard from you…'

'**Well… I was tired… I'm going to sleep again. I'll be awake once more when we arrive on this Port Island place. There's something interesting about it.'**

Minato was typing up a message on NecroPhase.

"_Yosuke, watch Souji carefully in my place. Do not allow him to be tempted. You'll know it when you see it. Also say bye to mysterious fox for me as well."_

Send.

* * *

Deidara'sgirl19: Yeah it does get somewhat depressing after rank 6, but I'm sure you've found that out by now.

Patcheresu: I'll agree with that and I would totally buy it.

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	26. Chapter 24

"**Shadow/Higher being"**

**Chapter 24**

It was silent as the team watched the train leave. They had mixed feelings about it, but it didn't really matter. All they could do was watch anyways. They began to walk back into town and proceed through the day as normal.

"…dead body just outside the Shopping District!" The team overheard two ladies gossip on their way back. It seems something has happened.

"Did I hear that right…?" Yosuke said, slowly putting his phone away.

"Excuse me…" Yukiko greeted, approaching the two gossipers. "Could I ask what you are talking about?"

"Huh? Well, someone said there was a dead body just outside the Shopping District!" The lady replied. The others gasped when they heard that. Yukiko continued to ask more from them.

"Could it be Rise-chan?" Yosuke said, still shocked. "But… we rescued her. I'm sure of it! What the hell is going on…?"

"Why did this have to happen as soon as Minato-senpai left…?" Kanji asked, not really looking for an answer.

"Alright look, let's meet at Junes right now to discuss this." Souji said. "Yosuke, can you head over to the scene and see what is up over there?"

"Yeah, leave it to me!"

"Alright, meet up with us at Junes when you're done."

* * *

Minato did not feel comfortable on the train at the moment. He was currently sitting next to some punkish-looking guy. His two other buddies were sitting nearby as well. They seemed to be a few years older than Minato was. If Minato so much as looked at them…

"Whatchu lookin' at, huh?" The one next to him growled out.

"Ha…" Minato laughed nervously. He noticed his other buddies had begun to play cards. "…Know how to play poker?"

* * *

"Yeah, it was murder all right." Yosuke came running to the headquarters panting. "The body was hanging upside down on an apartment's rooftop railing." Everyone was confused as how this could've happened. "Also… the victim this time, it… was King Moron." At this point, everyone stood up from their seats in shock. "There's no mistake…" Yosuke finished.

"Gotta be shitting me… Ain't the killer targeting people who get shown on TV?" Kanji asked. "I ain't never seen King Moron on the Midnight Channel, or any other programs!"

"I thought we had finally figured some things out…" Chie began. "Were they all just a big coincidence?"

No one answered. They thought about it, but Souji saw that their investigation was getting nowhere because of this. "Guys… it's too early to give up."

"Damn straight!" Kanji said with determination. "We started this thing 'cause the police can't tell their asses from their elbows. We give up now, and that shithead's gonna be on the loose forever. This ain't the time for bitching and moaning… Minato-senpai would've agreed with Souji-senpai as well. We just gotta keep on keepin' on!"

Souji was grateful. 'Kanji, you have leveled to epic stuff or something.'

Kanji's little speech seemed to arouse action from everyone. They began to look at the situation more determinedly than before. The team decided it would be best to go ask Teddie if he knew anything. They split up to change into their uniforms and regrouped at the electronics department.

"Now that's unusual…" Yosuke was referring to the Junes staff hanging around the electronics department. He walked over to them and asked what was going on. Souji heard bits of the conversation, but it wasn't difficult to find out what the staff was referring to when they said 'weird mascot around'.

"Whoa, h-he's here!" Chie hissed out in surprise, pointing at Teddie, who was sitting in a chair. They all ran over to him.

"Wh-What the…? I mean, how'd you…?" Yosuke seemed to be at a loss.

"It took you guys long enough! I've been waiting." Teddie replied cheerfully. The team had so many questions for Teddie which he answered very quickly and with answers that they should've been able to figure out for themselves.

"Spending time with you all sparked my curiosity about this world!"

"Oh yeah, there's something we need to ask you!" Yukiko said, remembering their original purpose for finding Teddie. "How long have you been here, Teddie? Did anyone enter the other world?"

"I stayed until the fog settled in on my side, but no one came."

"You're positive?" Yosuke was trying to confirm if it was true. "You really didn't sense a single person?"

"I just said that I didn't! I was there all by myself, like always. Hmph!" Yosuke continued to pester Teddie and it was making him frustrated. Well either way, Teddie was sure. Teddie handed Souji a pair of glasses saying they were for Rise.

"Today begins the New Legend of Teddie!" Wait… what? Souji felt their group bond strengthen.

'Did I miss something?' Souji thought. The group moved to the Junes' table when people began to gather to see the commotion.

The team continued to speculate some more on the inconsistency of the victim and the Midnight Channel. "I think we can be sure now that King Moron was never thrown into the TV." Yosuke concluded.

"Then what, he was killed over here? Why not throw him into a TV, like all the rest?" Chie asked.

"Maybe he never intended too?" Souji replied, unsure.

"So you're saying he wasn't like the others to begin with? But why?" No one really had an answer. Yukiko had a theory that it was possible that the killer thought he couldn't kill people anymore using the TV. They thought about it and they came up with some reasonable support for it. Their next plan was to see if Rise could fill in any blanks for them.

"It's so hot out." Teddie sighed. "…I'm taking this off."

"Wait! You're not talking about your head, are you?" Yosuke saw that Teddie was beginning to reach for his head to pull off and promptly hit him on the head. "Cut it out! There are kids watching!"

"Actually, I'm no longer a hollow bear!" Teddie let out a laugh. "I trained and trained, hoping to someday score with Chie-chan and Yuki-chan… and now I finally have an inside!"

"Yeah… good job with that." Chie said in disbelief.

"Come on! Can't we give it a rest with the whole 'scoring' thing?" Yukiko said, exasperated.

"Dude you're hollow. Taking your head off isn't going to cool you down!" Yosuke said.

"But I just told you! I'm not hollow anymore! Agh, it's too hot. I can't stand it…" Cutscene… ahem cough. Teddie began to rock back and forth as he reached to his back where the zipper was and pulled it. Everybody watched as a blond-haired boy with blue eyes emerged from the suit. Nobody moved. It was silent as they watched Teddie drink his soda. Everything seemed to be in slow motion.

"Hey, Chie-chan, Yuki-chan." Teddie said in an almost seductive voice.

The two being addressed were still in shock either from the person who had just emerged or from seeing the person or both. They let out a mumble of disbelief.

"Do you have anything to wear? I'm basically like a new born at the moment…"

'Damn dude. Minato would've had a kick out of this…' Souji thought.

After getting over their shock, Chie and Yukiko led Teddie away into Junes to buy some clothes leaving just the guys at the table.

"That's… Teddie…? He said he's not hollow anymore… so like… he grew himself a body in there?" Kanji was still in a state of shock over what had just happened in the past few minutes. Silly Kanji.

* * *

"Flush." Minato laid down his hand and sure enough they were all of the same suit. The four of them were playing inside an empty train carriage.

"Damn, this is one scary kid." One of the punks muttered. They had agreed to strip poker, which was awkward because they were all guys, but whatever. They had been playing for quite awhile and Minato had a pile of clothes sitting next to him. It was going to be the final round. The punks obviously knew that Minato had been cheating since they themselves had been cheating, but somehow Minato kept winning without being suspicious in the slightest. The smile on his face was a bit unnerving though.

"Royal flush." Minato laid his hand down once again. The other guys face palmed. These guys weren't such bad people; they only appeared to be. Through this one whole game of poker they had become acquaintances that enjoyed the game. Minato was glad that Igor taught him sleight of hand. He never thought he would have to use it, but hey… it saved his skin. The train had stopped, and this is where the three of them had to get off.

The one with the blue frizzy hair and the apparent leader of the three held out his hand, which Minato took. "I don't know how the hell you did it, but you're good kid. So yeah… can we get out clothes back now? This is our stop."

"Yep, no problem." The three departed from the train and Minato waved goodbye to them from the window of his seat. The one with the frizzy hair tossed him a pack of cards, which Minato caught.

"That's for a good game!" What an eventful day…

* * *

Souji, Yosuke, and Kanji were waiting for Chie, Yukiko, and Teddie to show up. They were meeting in front of the tofu shop. It was hot out, so the three of them decided to get Topsicles from the store nearby.

"Sorry we're late…" Chie said, approaching them.

"How'd it take you that long to find clothes for Ted?" Yosuke asked.

Teddie approached the group as well. His appearance would explain why. Teddie was wearing a very unique style of clothing, which would explain the amount of time it took. He wore some kind of dress shirt with ruffles at its collar and black pants. Part of his shirt was unbuttoned which left his chest slightly exposed.

"Whoa…! I-Is that you, Teddie…?" Yosuke asked in amazement.

"Qui, monsieur! How do I look?"

"Uh… C'est magnifique?" Souji answered uncertainly.

"…Don't encourage him." Chie said exasperatedly. "It was a huge mess with everything so new to him." Chie turned to Teddie. "You can't just do whatever you want when you're in this form, got it? If you can behave yourself, you'll be pretty cute."

"Is he cute…? What do you think Kanji?" Yosuke asked, turning to Kanji.

"Huh? What're you asking me for?"

"Well, I was just wondering if he was your type."

"Ohhh… I get it." Kanji said his tone thick with sarcasm. "What you're really asking is… 'Will you_ please_ beat the shit out of me, Kanji?'"

Yukiko began to laugh hysterically.

"It ain't funny, Yukiko-senpai."

Yosuke handed Kanji some money for him to take Teddie out for something to eat. Somehow this resulted in a huge argument between Yosuke and Chie. It had something to do with money issues or… something. Souji watched amusingly for awhile, and then he and Yukiko left towards Rise's shop while Kanji took Teddie to get some Topsicles. They saw the hat-wearing _boy,_ who hung with Kanji back during his incident, step out of the shop.

"Are you here to ingratiate yourself with Rise Kujikawa?" Uh huh… speak normally please.

"Huh? W-Wait, you're that guy we saw with Kanji…!" Yosuke said from behind as he and Chie walked up to them.

"Precisely, I don't believe we've met since then. In fact, I don't believe I've ever introduced myself. My name is Naoto Shirogane. I'm investigating the multiple murders that have occurred here. Mind if I ask you a few questions on the subject?" Although _he_ asked politely, _he _did not wait for an answer from them and continued to ask them questions about their teacher. "This Morooka… has never appeared on television. What do you make of that?" This kid was really clever to have figured out that much.

"…How are we supposed to know?" Yosuke replied, shifting his eyes slightly.

"Well, we'll leave it at that." _He_ began to walk away. "For my part, I'd like to solve this case as quickly as possible. I'll be keeping an eye on you all. Well then, until we meet again."

"Who is that guy…?" Yosuke asked slightly perplexed.

"It felt like he completely saw through us… He even knew about the TV thing." Chie said in awe.

"Oh… hi." A familiar voice called out. The team saw Rise approaching from behind them. They traded greetings and asked how she was doing. They began to walk in the direction of the shrine discussing what had happened with her.

"Yeah, I remember being at my house. When I came to though, I was already in the other world."

"Still no real information on the killer…" Chie sighed.

"We met this weird kid name Naoto a second ago…" Yosuke told Rise.

"Oh… He's come to the shop several times asking me a lot about the incident. I didn't tell him anything about the other world though. I figured it'd be a waste of time. Actually he asked me about you guys too, but I just made up some stuff."

"Thanks. Even if he didn't believe you, at least you didn't rat us out or anything." Souji said.

Rise gave a small nod. "Um… I-I really appreciate what you did for me…" She said quietly before continuing. "Thank you soooo much! I love you guys!" Rise exclaimed happily.

'Wow that was sudden.' Souji thought.

"Huh? Awww, you don't have to thank us!" Chie replied.

'Chie, are you not surprised by the sudden change in attitude?'

"Dude… She's so cute…" Yosuke whispered to Souji.

'Does no one seem surprised?'

"Man, it's finally hitting me that you're the real deal. You really are Risette."

Well, I know I sounded gloomy and all from stress, so… I-I thought you might not like me that way. Do I… sound weird? Oh, but I guess it sounds more 'natural' this way to the public. I'm sorry… I've practically lost touch with what the normal me is like."

"Haha, no need to apologize. Just do what comes naturally." Chie laughed.

"Thanks. I'm glad you're the first people I got to know here." Rise said, chuckling.

"Oh yeah." Chie realized. "We almost forgot your present. The Teddie Glasses. You don't have to take them, but… well…"

Before Souji could act, Rise spoke again, this time directing her question to Souji himself. "Senpai, would you be struggling without my help? I can help you in that world, right? With my power, so wouldn't it be better if I joined the team?" Souji's answer was to wordlessly hand over the glasses with a smile on his face.

"These are kind of like proof that you're one of us…" Yosuke began. He and Souji explained that these were necessary in the other world.

"I see… I do remember you all wearing glasses over there. Thanks, Senpai. Now I'm part of the team, too!" Souji felt team bond strengthen with her on the team. "I'll be going to Yasogami High, starting tomorrow." Rise informed them. "But I don't have any friends yet, so don't ignore me, alright? I do owe you my life, so… you know…"

"Of course, leave it to me. I was once the new student here too." Souji told her.

"W-Wow… I didn't realize you were so cool, Senpai."

'I don't get it…' Souji thought.

* * *

Patcheresu: Yes, but the point of the phone is the uniqueness of it. Something that is the same as a lot of other items, but is uniquely made… if that made any sense…

DemonRaily: Random stuff! (:

Happy holidays to my readers and of course my beta!

Betaed RionAgrias!


	27. Chapter 25

"**Shadow/Higher being"**

**Chapter 25**

"I wonder if there's any chance the exams will get canceled…" Yosuke sighed.

The team was finishing up there talk with Rise at the shrine and Yosuke happened to bring up a few issues they had to deal with.

"I doubt it. They always hold exams, rain or shine…" Chie sighed as well.

"Alrighty then, let's discuss the case some more tomorrow at our special headquarters." Yosuke said.

"Oh yeah… weren't there more of you guys? Where's everyone else at?" Rise asked. As she said this, Kanji came up to them. Souji could see Teddie finishing up a Topsicle in the distance.

"Yo, how's it going? Dude, Teddie ate five Topsicles, though if you count the ones before, that makes six, so I still win." Though the information was totally unrelated, Kanji seemed proud that he ate a lot.

"No one asked…" Yosuke rolled his eyes. See… Yosuke agrees.

"We're all done talking. Let's go Senpai!" Rise said cheerfully. She stood next to Souji and looked at him in an admirable way.

"Uh… When did you get so chipper?" Kanji asked.

"Do you go to Yasogami like Senpai?" Rise asked Kanji. "I'll be starting school there tomorrow, so I hope we get along too.

"Huh? Oh… cool. Uh… what grade are you in?" No one really answered.

* * *

"Ah… finally here." Minato let a yawn as he stepped off the train. He was surprised at how long it took to get here. It was nearly noon. If he wanted to make it to Port Island before evening, he would have to leave in a couple of hours. His next course of action was clear. He had to get himself a ticket for the passenger ship.

"What? What did you say?" Minato said, raising his voice slightly. He had come to buy a ticket, and the guy behind the counter denied him.

"I'm sorry sir, but I cannot allow you to purchase any. Also, keep your voice down please."

"What the hell? Why?"

"You are clearly a minor and therefore, I cannot sell you any tickets. If you want a ticket, go ask your parents to purchase you a ticket."

"I'm older then I look." Minato sighed.

"Do you have any identification of this?"

"…No, but-"

"Then you must leave before I call security." He interrupted.

"Ah, pardon." A feminine voice called out. She wore a dark pants and white blouse. Her brown hair was partially tied up and let down behind her back while the rest of it hung over her shoulders. "I sent this student of mine ahead to collect a ticket for him and myself. I did not realize minors could not freely buy tickets. I apologize. I'll purchase them myself."

"It's quite alright; I thought it was well-known information." The guy behind the counter guy behind the counter began to talk with the newcomer and when they had finished, she dragged Minato off to the side.

"First time on a ship by yourself?" She asked. Minato only nodded. "Well… here." She handed him a ticket. "Port Island, right? Well, there you go. I'm headed there myself actually. My name is Akemi Shimizu by the way."

"Um… Minato Arisato, miss. It's a pleasure, and thank you for your help."

"Well Minato-kun, I think it'd be best that we stick together until we get on the ship at the very least. They might not let you on even if you have a ticket. For now though, how about we get some lunch before the ship leaves?"

"Sure… allow me to treat you. I owe you for helping me out there." Minato smiled.

Akemi really liked to talk about herself, but not in an arrogant way though. She liked to tell people who were getting to know her about her likes and dislikes and whatnot. Minato found out she was a teacher who was returning from an extended break that took her overseas. She was pretty cheerful overall.

"So, Minato-kun? Why do you need to go to Port Island? You could've gone there from Iwatodai since it is on the mainland."

"What? Really?" Minato said in surprise.

She nodded.

"I didn't know that."

"Regardless, you're on the ship now with that ticket. The ship will be leaving soon, so it'd be best if we get going now." And with that they left to board the ship. Once they were on, they parted ways from there to do their own things. Minato stayed inside the ship with his music on for awhile before deciding to head out to the deck for some air. He stood over the railing looking rather serious for no reason. He eventually began to examine NecroPhase in more detail. All basic phone features were there. The music player was nice and it had a lot of space for storage. He examined the object itself and found that it was made of some tough material that handled minor damage well.

'**Hey… are we there yet?' **Ryoji yawned.

'No.'

'**Are you serious? It's been hours. I want something exciting to happen!'**

'No.'

'**You suck…'**

'Well you're dead.'

'**Death! I'm Death! There's a difference between being Dead and being Death!'**

'Like what?'

'**Well… Dead is… Dead and I never heard of anybody named Dead!'**

'Hey, I think I see Port Island ahead!'

'**Death I say!'**

It was still a fair distance away, but Minato could make out a distant outline of an island up ahead. As the ship got closer, he began to see various building structures. He also saw a bridge and a monorail connected to the mainland in the distance.

'Guess I could have taken an overland route after all…' Minato thought. Without much left to do, he awaited for the arrival. When the ship slowed into a port, he began to walk down to the exiting area hoping to catch Akemi to say goodbye, but he didn't see her, so he got off the boat taking his first steps onto Port Island.

'Well… what do I do now?' Minato thought.

'**Well it's getting late. You should probably find a place to stay for the night and search around tomorrow.' **Ryoji answered.

And so the journey to find a place to sleep began.

"Hey kid! Need a place to stay?" A man shouted to Minato. The man stood in front of a building that clearly marked it as a hotel, if the sign was anything to go by.

"Uh… sure…" Minato said uncertainly.

"How long?"

Minato didn't know how long. He was hoping he'd find someplace other than a hotel to stay at. "Undefined for now…"

"Then pay for each night you stay!"

And so the journey to find a place to sleep ended.

* * *

Souji went to school the next morning and heard much about Morooka's recent death. Souji sat in the classroom with his friends talking about the investigation when a lady of a questionable age came in. She wore a blouse that was unbuttoned slightly in order to accentuate her bodily assets which wasn't much; in fact it was almost disgusting in a way.

"Goooood mornin'. I'm Noriko Kashiwagi, your new class teacher starting today. You all probably know already, but now that Mr. Morooka has passed away, I'll be taking good care of you instead." She giggled as she said the last part. "Okay, why don't we start off with a moment of silence for Mr. Morooka. Close your eyes, everyone…"

Souji was honestly afraid of what she might do once they did, but closed them anyways.

"That should be enough."

Souji opened his eyes to see her sitting on the desk casually. For the first time since she came in, she began to actually act like a teacher, relaying that exams and stuff were still on schedule until…

"Oh, and one more thing. That idol in our first-year class, Ms. Kujikawa, was it? In person, she's nothing like she seems on TV, so don't get your hopes up, mmkay?" She contorted her face into one of hatred. "What's so great about an idol anyway, right class? She's just a piece of inexperienced jailbait!"

'Looking forward to a great rest of the year… apparently the students agree too.' Souji thought.

* * *

"Ugh, finals are next week!" Chie complained. "It's been awhile since I failed any subjects…"

"Yeah, if by 'a while' you mean 'all the time'." Yosuke replied bluntly. The group discussed random things with Rise and Teddie at their special headquarters that same day after school. Rise seemed to be having a fun time with them all.

"Oh yeah…" Yosuke began. "What do you guys think about King Moron's case? He didn't show up on the Midnight Channel even once."

"If this person had been inside the TV, I would've sensed it." Teddie said. "My nose isn't as sharp now, but I can tell that much."

"But they found the body on a foggy day again, right? They said on the news that the crime scene was just the way it was for that announcer and Saki-senpai." Chie explained.

"I really wonder about the culprit's motives. Why was Mr. Morooka targeted?" Yukiko wondered.

"Hope it wasn't personal, 'cause there's way too many people who hated King Moron's guts." Kanji said.

Nobody understood what was going on. It was all too confusing. The best the team could do was to speculate and make theories about what may have occurred.

"The news says that he was the second victim from Yasogami High, but we all know that's not the case." Yosuke said.

"Maybe we should split up and-" Chie started.

"That won't be necessary." A familiar voice called out. It was that kid, Naoto. _He_ came up to their table. "There is no need to examine the case of Mr. Morooka any further."

"Wh-Why's that?" Chie asked.

"Apparently, the police have found a suspect. It would be best to let them handle the case from here." The team looked confused at this new information so Naoto continued. "I'm on this case as a special investigator, by request of the prefectural police. That is how I came by this information."

"They found a suspect…? Who is it?" Chie asked.

"As to his name, I haven't been informed. I do know… that he is a high schooler." Everyone gave off a look of surprise before Naoto continued. "It isn't public knowledge yet, but he isn't a student of your high school. It seems they are quite confident that this boy is the killer… I expect it's only a matter of time before he is apprehended."

"All right… so why come tell us?" Yosuke asked. "That's confidential info, right? Why run right here and spill it?"

"Your 'game' will soon reach its end. I felt that I should at least let you know that."

Souji stood up slamming his hand on the table for emphasis. "It's not a game to us!"

"You don't deny, then, that you have involved yourselves in the matter? Well, no matter. I have no reason to say anything further." Naoto finished.

"A game…?" Rise said beginning to raise her voice. "Aren't _you_ the one who thinks of this as a game?" Her words seemed to have startled Naoto slightly. "I don't care if you're a special investigator or an amateur sleuth. All you're doing is solving mysteries. What could you possibly know about us? You're the one who's playing a game here!"

"One of the victims…" Yosuke started, backing Rise up. "She meant a lot to me. How could I possibly treat this like a game? Plus… we made a promise…"

Teddie turned to Yosuke, looking like he was going to cry.

"A game… that may be quite true…" Naoto said, a smirk appearing on _his_ face. Naoto explained a little about how _he _was no longer necessary once the suspect was caught and with that _he _left.

"Well that was it." Souji said. Everyone gave a nod. "Maybe we should ask Minato for his opinion on the matter."

"That's right… we were supposed to keep him updated on the case." Yosuke realized. "I'll do that a little later tonight."

"Um… where is Minato? I haven't seen him at all and most importantly, he hasn't seen me!" Teddie exclaimed.

The team shifted their eyes slightly giving off a sigh. "He… left, Teddie." Souji said. "He went back to his home to search for his answers. He said bye though…"

Teddie was speechless. Rise looked at everyone confused. "Who…? Huh… I thought there seemed to be less or you. You were missing a person this entire time…"

"Yeah…" Souji said. "He'll be back someday. For now, we gotta keep unraveling the mysteries in this case."

* * *

That night, Souji arrived home and heard from Nanako that Dojima was going to be home early tonight so she wanted to make dinner for him.

"We're out of pickled radish. Dad'll be disappointed…" Nanako said sadly.

"How about we go buy some before he gets back?" Souji suggested.

She was happy with that suggestion and with that he felt their bond grow stronger. They both headed to Junes where Nanako became exuberant. She spent some time just looking around before she went to buy her pickled radish. They didn't plan to stay long, but somehow it ended up that way. They returned home a little later than they had originally planned to see Dojima sitting on the couch with a worried expression on his face.

"Where did you go at this time of night?" He asked sternly.

"Oh, uh… Junes…" Nanako replied timidly.

"Didn't I tell you not to go outside this late?"

"B-But, you were coming home so I…"

"No matter what the reason was, rules are rules. You promised me, remember?" Dojima continued, cutting her off.

"Uncle Dojima, it's not her fault. If you could listen to her just a little…" Souji pleaded to Dojima.

"…It's not my fault, so then why is Dad angry? Why won't he listen? Dad's stupid…! Stupid, stupid!" With that, Nanako ran off.

Dojima was apparently surprised, quickly stood up, and yelled after her. "Nanako! How dare you call your father stupid?"

"Well, if you only listened to her. It really wasn't her fault. If anyone… it would be me. She wanted to get you pickled radishes because they were your favorite apparently so I suggested we go buy some." Souji explained.

"Pickled radish for me…? …Is that so?" He seemed a little regretful. "But still, I can't allow kids to be walking around this late at night. You know how dangerous it's been lately. You shouldn't be wandering around out there at night either!" Dojima said, scolding him.

"Tch…" Souji turned away from Dojima's gaze. "So this is what family is like, huh? Having someone worry over you all the time… I haven't felt such care in a long time. Honestly… I think I'm better off… without it." Souji muttered angrily enough so that Dojima only caught bits of it. He turned away and went up to his room.

* * *

XoreandoX: Thanks for the catch.

DemonRaily: Ha, I never thought about Minato doing something like that!

Patcheresu: Damn, can't believe I missed that…

Haseo55: Thanks for the encouraging words.

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	28. Chapter 26

"**Shadow/Higher being"**

**Chapter 26**

Minato woke up early that morning, eager to find out what Port Island had in store for him. He would most likely be back for another stay, so he left most of his stuff at the hotel. He took only a small bag that contained his Compendium and left the establishment. He decided that the best thing to do first was to head to the school located on the island.

"Gekkoukan High School…" Minato muttered, looking at the giant building in front of him. He looked at himself in his uniform. 'Maybe I should come back looking like a visitor instead of a student.' With that he turned away, walking back to the hotel.

"Oi, hold it!" A gruff voice called out. Minato turned to face the large man running towards him.

'Oh crap… looks like security!'

"Huh… you thought you could get away with ditching, huh?" The man said. He began to lecture Minato, who kept his head down. "Well, what have you got to say for yourself?"

"I'm not a student here, sir." Minato replied simply.

"Don't give me that! I've caught you leaving school before classes have been dismissed and you have the gall to say you don't go to this school when you're wearing this school's uniform? Well, you're coming with me!"

'How did this happen…' Minato thought as he was literally being dragged along the ground. His clothes were being scuffed as a result. "Hey, you're paying for my new clothes!"

"Oh, shut it. This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't ditched in the first place!"

"But I keep telling you! I don't go to this school!" Minato protested. His words were lost to the security guy, who dragged him into the school and dumped him in front of the faculty office. A bored looking lady opened the door and dragged Minato inside, seating him on a chair.

"Thank you officer. You may go now." She said. He nodded and left. She turned and faced Minato. "So I hear you like to ditch school, huh?" She said monotonously.

"Like I said earlier. I! Don't! Go! To! This! School!" Minato replied, raising his voice.

"Name…"

"What?"

"Name…" She repeated again in her bored tone.

"…Minato Arisato." She typed something into the computer nearby. After what seemed like a long time she spoke again. "Grade, age, birth date…"

"What's all this for?" Minato asked, confused.

"Well, you're not in the database, so you were telling the truth somewhat I suppose… You must be one of the transfer students that we were unable to input, so I'm adding you now. We'll pull your transcript and whatnot later. This is a premature enrollment."

Minato hesitated, but gave her the information requested. "You are a little older than I expected, but you are of the senior class, correct? You don't look it honestly, but I suppose so." After a few minutes, she scribbled something down on a piece of paper. "Go to the third floor and go to the first room to the right." She handed him the paper.

"Why can't you tell me the room number? That would make things less confusing."

"Kid… I don't have the slightest idea what room that is. I just know that it's there. Now go."

"O-Okay… bye then." Minato saw her give a small wave before he left out the door. 'Well… I could ditch again, but this is an opportunity to continue my search at this school as a student, I suppose.'

As Minato headed up, he noticed that he was walking as if he knew the layout of this place. Not once, as he headed up, did he feel like he had gotten lost. Perhaps, he would remember something as he spent his time here.

'Well I'm here, I think… those instructions were a little too vague for me to be sure.' Minato thought, hoping he was standing in front of the correct door.

'**Only one way to find out… am I right or am I right?'**

He grabbed the handle, slid the door open, and walked inside. Imagine Minato's surprise as he recognized the teacher of the room.

"A-Akemi-san?" Today, she was wearing something that seemed to fit her role as a teacher as opposed to her more casual look yesterday. She wore a red long-sleeved top with her black dress today.

"Minato-kun?" She said, though less surprised then Minato was. Minato walked up to her and handed her the note. She quickly looked at it, and then looked at Minato again. "Well, you seem to be a student of this class now, Minato-kun. You'll have to address me as Shimizu-sensei. Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?"

Minato turned and faced the class noticing that his entrance had caused the class to stare at him. "My name is Minato Arisato and I am delighted to make your acquaintance." The students began to whisper things to each other

"Very well take a seat, if you would." Akemi said. She then continued her lecture.

* * *

Minato was unused to a school setting and was constantly fidgeted with his pencil. He listened as much as he could, but realized that he knew most of the stuff Akemi was talking about. She taught psychology which, luckily, Igor had many books on. After all, the psyche is a main component among Persona users, but that's only one part of psychology. Another thing was the students, particularly the males. They seemed to be paying attention, but were actually staring at their teacher. Minato didn't notice it before, but she was actually pretty attractive. Minato also noticed that an attractive young girl with long brown hair and glasses, who sat nearby, kept starting at Minato intently. From what he could see from the corner of his eye, he could not describe the emotion across her face. It was merely fierce.

As soon as the bell let out for lunch, everybody left the classroom including the girl who was staring. Akemi approached him.

"So what happened?" She asked.

"I honestly don't have the slightest idea. I'm just here now because I apparently _ditched_."

"Okay… Well as long as you are in my classroom, I expect the best effort out of you. Got it?"

"Uh… Yes miss!" She laughed slightly. Minato waved goodbye and left the classroom. As soon as he stepped outside, he was knocked down and dragged across the floor up the stairs. Turning his neck slightly, he noticed it was the girl from his class who was staring. She was pretty strong for a frail looking girl.

'Someone's going to pay for my clothes! Geez!' Minato thought irritatingly. He was then dropped on the ground. "Damn, what is going on? I'm getting dragged around when I can walk perfectly fine, you know…" Minato muttered. He looked around, realizing he was on the roof of the school.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Didn't you hear my eloquent introduction, or are you hard of hearing or something?" Minato replied.

"Who are you?" She repeated. "You're not… Minato-san!"

"Who says I'm not? And what about you? Who are you?"

"You can't be Minato Arisato… my senpai. You are some kind of copycat. Mitsuru-senpai told me… you were gone!"

"Mit…suru-senpai?" 'Wasn't she… the one who took my phone call so many months ago…?' Minato let out a sigh. "What do you mean by _gone_?"

"Gone like…" She looked like she was going to cry. "Minato-san was a dear friend to me and he disappeared. I never got an explanation for it other than he was gone. How am I supposed to believe that you're Minato-san?"

"I can't really say. All I know is that I _am _Minato Arisato. The problem is I don't know anything. I'm lost in a place I don't know much about. In other words, I have no memory."

"I don't know what to believe…" The girl said tiredly, sinking to the ground.

"Well, you seem to know me, and this is the kind of thing I've been looking for ever since I got here. Someone here in this city has to recognize me and that way I'll remember the truth of who I am…" Minato got up and held his hand out. "C'mon, stand up."

She slowly took his hand and Minato pulled her to her feet. "I'm sorry…" She said quietly.

"Eh, no problem." Minato said, dusting off his pants.

"So, you don't know who I am?" She asked.

"Nope, sorry."

"My name is Chihiro Fushimi. We met when I was only a first year here at this school. You were really kind and helped me through my phobia of men."

"Chihiro… ah!" Minato suddenly realized something. He opened NecroPhase and quickly browsed through the phonebook. Scanning it he saw the name Chihiro Fushimi in it. "Yours?" He asked, showing her the screen.

"Huh…? Yeah… this was my old phone number. Oh and these other numbers!" Chihiro grabbed the device yanking Minato forward in a comical way. She didn't seem to notice, however. "This is Mitsuru-senpai's number and these are your friend's numbers as well, isn't it? I guess you really are Minato-san…"

"Yep…"

She grabbed him into a hug. "Now I'm really sorry I doubted you!"

"It's quite alright." Minato said. "All I need to figure out now is my next move…"

"Might I suggest something?"

Minato gave her a quizzical look. "What might that be?"

* * *

"Next stop is Iwatodai." The speaker announced. At Chihiro's suggestion, Minato had gotten on the train bound for Iwatodai. She had suggested for him to head there and possibly find something that would help his memory return. After school was over for the day, she passed a scrap of paper to him.

He reached into his pocket where he pulled the paper out. On it was a hastily scribbled address to some place in Iwatodai. Chihiro would've went with him, but she had to attend her student council meeting for making preparations with a visiting school that would arrive in a couple months. She wished him luck and left it at that. Now Minato was staring out the window wondering what sort of things he would find. Minato had wanted to learn more about this place that Chihiro had sent him off to, but he did not get a chance to ask before she had left.

The train approached its destination and Minato stepped off. At this point, he had no idea where to start looking for this address. He began to walk and suddenly a sense of familiarity surfaced as he looked around. Trusting his feeling, he let himself find the destination. A short walk later and Minato had stopped. He stood in front of a fairly large building. It was at least four floors from what Minato could tell with double doors for the front entrance. It was a fairly modern design that gave a home-like feeling. Minato stood in front of the building for what seemed like hours until he heard barking come from the inside. He also heard indistinct voices from the inside along with the barking. Suddenly the door opened. A large flash of white suddenly dashed forward towards Minato and pounced on him, slobbering all over his face. It was pretty heavy too.

"Koro-chan! Get off of him!" A male voice called out. The beast didn't move, however. Minato heard footsteps running towards him and the beast. He felt someone begin pulling the white-furred beast off of him. As the beast began to shift and get off him, he saw that it was a dog, though Minato probably could have guessed that by now. It was a very unique dog with its red eyes and white fur. It made it look awesome…!

"Sorry about that. I don't know what got into hi…m…" The boy trailed off. He wore a school uniform similar to Minato's, but with a different emblem. He had brown hair and was a little shorter than Minato was currently.

"Ah… no problem." Minato said, getting up. He began feeling a little nervous because the boy continued to stare at him. "Is… something the matter?"

"Y-You're…" The boy seemed shocked.

"So… you know who I am, I take it?"

The boy remained silent, however. The dog began to bark again. Unlike the boy, the dog seemed happy. The barking snapped the boy out of his shocked state and he had a fierce look on his face similar to Chihiro's

"Who are you?" The boy asked uncertainly.

"It's pretty clear you recognize me." Minato began shrugging. "So, who do you think I am?"

The boy gritted his teeth and glared. "I don't know who the hell you are!"

"Ken-san, what is going on?" A female voice said from inside the building.

"I think… it is best you see for yourself, Aigis-san." The boy, identified as Ken, replied without taking his eyes off of Minato. A moment later, a female with short, blonde hair in a black skirt and a dark blue long-sleeved shirt stepped out. She had the clearest blue eyes Minato had ever seen. The moment she locked eyes with Minato, she had the same shocked expression, as the younger boy, appear on her face.

"Who are you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Geez, I'm starting to get tired of that question. Like I told your friend here, it's clear that your recognize me so why ask something you already know? I obviously don't know who you guys ar-!" He quickly jumped to the side as a bullet was fired in his direction. He noticed that the girl's hands were outstretched. Apparently, the shot had come from her fingertips. "What the hell? I didn't even do anything. No need to be fricken viol-!" Another shot was fired and he jumped to the side again. This time the girl rushed him and threw a kick in his direction, which Minato ducked and jumped past her. It was a mistake. He had his back turned to her and he was kicked hard from behind sending him through the doors of the building where he landed on carpet.

"These shots are merely sedatives meant to disable my opponent for capture."

"Ugh… attack now and ask questions later? Is that how it is…?" Minato slowly groaned, getting up. The girl was advancing towards him, ready to fire again. "Wait! At least hear me out!" Minato shouted. She stopped. "Okay, I don't know what's going on with you, but it's as you suspect. I am Minato Arisato. I am alive or back or whatever. The point is I'm right here! So stop attacking me!"

She dropped her hand. "M-Minato-san? I don't know…" It was hard to describe the emotion on her face. "Then… would you prove it? We will have a fight right here… right now." A spectral being appeared behind her. It was some kind of female warrior by the looks of it. It held a spear and had a ring surrounding her body that rotated a large shield. "Summon your Persona."

"Uh…" Minato was dumbstruck. "There are easier ways to prove that it's me, you know!"

"I confront my doubts right now and my Persona, Pallas Athena will settle this! The greatest warriors learn more through a battle than words ever could. Prepare yourself, Minato-san…"

Minato gave a sigh. He reached into his bag and pulled a large book out. "Fine let's settle this." He opened the Compendium. "Orpheus!"

* * *

Thanks for reading again up to this point. I have to thank princesskisara, who reviewed practically every chapter, so if you saw the review count go up… well now you know why. It wasn't necessary, but thanks anyways.

An all Minato chapter… kind of difficult to write, but I hope it works well enough. From the next chapter onwards the views will switch between Minato and Souji.

And also… my beta has caught up, so that's pretty awesome.

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	29. Chapter 27

"**Shadow/Higher being"**

**Chapter 27**

Orpheus was not his strongest Persona, but Minato favored him for sentimental reasons. He felt that this Persona would be best to start with for this battle as Orpheus was his true Persona. The power the Compendium granted him, when summoning Orpheus, was tremendous. The Orpheus he had summoned was nothing like the Orpheus he had summoned back in April.

"Orpheus…" The girl, identified as Aigis, murmured. Her Persona moved forward using Fatal End, slashing at Orpheus with her spear. Orpheus parried the attack with his lyre and proceeded to cast an Agilao at Athena. She partially blocked it with her shield, but the damage was still done.

"God's Hand!" Athena raised her spear and a large copper fist fell from above on Orpheus, who as strong as he was, was still very fragile.

'Poor Orpheus…' Minato thought sheepishly. "God's Hand? That's a little much don't you think?" Aigis' answer was another God's Hand. "Thor!" Minato shouted, opening the book and summoning the mighty Norse god of thunder, who blocked the attack. Minato nearly collapsed from the summoning. He remembered Elizabeth constantly mentioning that when summoning Personas directly from the Compendium that are stronger then he was currently would effectively drain his energy to the point of exhaustion. He needed to finish this quick.

Aigis' eyes widened as she saw him switch to another Persona that nullified her strongest attack. What was worse was that it was Thor meaning she could be expecting an electric attack that most likely would end the battle in Minato's favor. Athena cast Sukukaja on herself in order to raise her evasion against incoming attacks.

"Ziodyne!" Minato shouted. Thor summoned up electricity that shot down towards Athena, who dodged the first one only to be hit by the following one. There was a flash of light and Athena had vanished leaving Aigis fallen on the ground.

"Aigis!" The boy, Ken, came rushing up to Aigis from behind Minato. Apparently, he had snuck in during the battle and now held an Evoker and spear in his hands. "Kala-Nemi!" Holding the Evoker to his head he pulled the trigger summoning a large red Persona. It had a cylindrical upper body that surrounded a smaller inner body. Ken was determined to continue the battle it seemed.

"Ken-san… stop." Aigis said, getting up and putting a hand on Ken's shoulders. "It's okay now. I learned quite a bit from that battle. At this point, we may as well listen to Minato-san's story."

"But…"

"Koromaru-san knows who he is and trusts him." Aigis continued, looking over to Koromaru who was now sitting next to an exhausted Minato.

"Thank you…" Minato said, sitting down to pet Koromaru.

"…I'm still determined not to look back into the past, but… if you are actually here in the present than… I'll have to face it. Okay… I'll listen." Ken finished, giving a small smile.

"Haha… it would've been so much easier to listen from the beginning, but you had to make things complicated for me." Minato laughed exhaustedly. "Tell you what, I'll tell you my story tomorrow. I gotta… rest… up for school… stuff…" And with that, Minato fell unconscious.

* * *

Souji didn't know why, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had been left out of something for awhile. Whatever the case, he had lots of problems. After that disastrous night with Nanako and Dojima, Souji wondered if there was any friction between him and his uncle. Neither Nanakor nor Dojima had mentioned anything about the pickled radish incident as Souji aptly called it. The other thing was Ai. Souji grew to like her as a person, but he didn't want to date her. Somehow it ended up that way and Souji needed to fix it somehow. There were finals too, but Souji had it covered. He studied in the school library and found Yukiko, who happened to be studying there as well. Afterwards, Souji thought they were going to part ways, but they ended up walking together down the Shopping District.

"Do you remember Kasai-san, the waitress? She seemed to have told everyone about you. Now, they're saying I sh-should bring you home." She seemed really embarrassed when Souji smiled amusingly. They had arrived at the shrine where they sat talking for awhile. A man, whom Yukiko identified as the deputy mayor or something, came by. As they talked, she was reminded that some people from the TV station were going to do a show on her family inn. She was about run off to go help out when Kasai came running up to them.

"Kasai-san? What's wrong?" Yukiko asked.

"That TV crew came, but don't go to the inn! It was a trick! It's those people from that 'news of the weird' show! Stay put where you are!" Kasai replied urgently.

"There you are…" A male voice called out. Souji, Yukiko, and Kasai turned to see a familiar trio approach. Souji recognized those lovely gentlemen from last time that had stopped by to talk to them at Junes awhile back. The one that spoke still held that same shady, sneering appearance as before, too. They were complete assholes who wanted coverage to get their ratings by using Yukiko and the inn. As Souji watched them verbally assault Yukiko, he began to feel his anger surface and the Black Tarot in his pocket vibrated. Its sibilant voice urged Souji to act on his anger.

'**Do it… destroy these fools…'**

It took all of his will power not to deliver the first punch. Instead, he was about to verbally assault them when Yukiko spoke up.

"Shut the hell up!" Yukiko said angrily. "Don't say another word about our inn! Who'd take your stupid ideas seriously? From now on, we refuse ANY coverage from your station!"

"You… bitch! If that's how you wanna play it, I'll plaster those words all over prime time! See how that feels!" The man snarled.

"Go ahead, by all means and we'll respond with an official complaint to your sponsors." Yukiko replied coolly.

They didn't seem to like that idea, but they left anyways. After they were gone, Yukiko let out a sigh of relief and laughed everything that just occurred off. Kasai did too and Souji felt a smile tugging at his lips as his previous anger faded. Kasai soon left.

"Hey, you did well there. You were pretty cool with everything going on." Souji complimented, seeing her get slightly embarrassed over everything that just transpired. She seemed to regret considering abandoning the inn and Souji felt their bond grow stronger.

* * *

Souji wasn't sure why, but he was at Junes stocking the shelves while Yosuke was advertising. Yosuke vaguely told him he had an offer that Souji couldn't refuse and he ended up donning a Junes apron and stocking the shelves. Souji made some cash out of it so it wasn't so bad. The two of them relaxed in the food court at the end of the day. He thanked Souji for being there to help out.

"Oh, Hanamura." A female voice called to the right of them. Souji listened as the pair of girls complained to Yosuke that they were annoyed at the crowd today and wanted a raise. After they finished complaining to Yosuke, they walked away and gossiped about Saki Konishi. Though none of it really affected Souji, Yosuke took it offensively.

"It's just hot air. I'm not letting it get to me. …It's sad to be talked about like that, though." Yosuke sighed.

"Heh, you've gotten mature. When did that happen?" Souji replied jokingly.

"Haha… I saw the kid in me inside the TV. I felt I needed to change." There was a silence except for the girls who were still gossiping loudly. "I think its good you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it this far." Souji felt Yosuke's gratitude and felt their bond strengthen.

* * *

Minato opened his eyes, but immediately regretted it. The blinds were open, letting in the sunlight that sharply blinded him. This time, he slowly opened his eyes and turned his head slightly away from the window. He looked around the plain room to see very few things in it. There was a desk where he saw some of his stuff on it and a TV in the corner in front of him. Remembering the events of yesterday, he quickly jumped out of bed. He quickly checked his phone and saw that he had a message from Yosuke that he received last night. Minato made a note to read it later. Minato also found out it was nearly noon. The door suddenly opened and Aigis walked through the door with Koromaru.

"Oh… you're up. I thought you were still sleeping otherwise I would've knocked…" She seemed embarrassed.

"Huh… it's fine. Sorry Aigis, but I'm kind of late for school and stuff!" Minato didn't know why, but he felt an urge like he had to go to school despite the fact that it didn't really matter if he attended or not.

"It's fine. Chihiro-san stopped by last night to check on you. It was likely that you would not recover in time for school the next day, so she said she would take care of it." Aigis explained.

"I see…" Minato said blankly.

She walked past him and sat on the bed. "Would you please tell me your story… Minato-san?" She had hesitated slightly in saying his name, which meant it was possible that she still didn't fully believe it. Koromaru barked in agreement.

"I don't know what happened honestly. I know that I am dead, but some strange circumstance led to my revival against my own will. Not that I mind, of course." Minato began to relay every detail that had taken place after mentioning his friends and the TV world. He however, did not mention the Velvet Room since he was unsure if Aigis knew of the place or not.

"I suppose that covers everything…" During the entire tale, Aigis was silent. She stared at him with an intrigued expression on her face.

"So Shadows still do exist… but in another place." Aigis murmured. There was a silence between them until Koromaru barked. Aigis immediately stood up.

"When we fought that book you were holding… was it not the Persona Compendium?"

This surprised Minato slightly. The fact that she knew of the Persona Compendium had to mean that she had seen it before and most likely met someone from the Velvet Room. "You… know of Igor, Elizabeth, and Margaret?" Minato asked.

She nodded. "Well, I don't know who Margaret is, but I have met Igor and Elizabeth before. Elizabeth always held a book in her hands and I recognized that same book you held as well."

"I've been waiting for a long time to learn of my identity. I've wanted to learn of this truth for a long time now. Aigis… could you tell me about… myself?"

She gave Minato a smile. "Let's take a walk then."

* * *

The two of them took a walk around Iwatodai and its many stores. Aigis had let Koromaru out to do whatever he wanted while they were gone. They stopped by various places to eat while Aigis reminisced to Minato about everything that took place. The more she told him the more some of the things began to make sense in his mind.

"This is the most fun I've had in a long time… The last time I was this happy was when I was with you all those times…" Aigis said.

Minato was simply delighted that he had found Aigis. He felt this was all he needed in order to attain the rest of his memories. Eventually, they had stopped reminiscing together and just talked about various things. She updated Minato about how his friends were doing.

"Yukari-san, Junpei-san, and Fuuka-san are off in college. We all had graduated just a few months prior."

"Why didn't you go with them?" Minato asked, biting into his takoyaki as they walked. There was something strange about it, but it was good nevertheless.

"I could have, but I declined. College is not the place for me. I decided to remain behind along with Ken-san and Koromaru-san reopening the dorm for any who needed it."

"That's really kind of you, Aigis."

She continued. "Mitsuru-san does business overseas and periodically revisits Port Island since she has based her company here. Akihiko-san is working overseas to be a police officer. He is currently working on a case with a veteran officer to gain experience."

"Mitsuru… huh? You know, Mitsuru was the first person I was able to call on my phone, but she flat out denied me. After that I didn't want to call anybody else, but now when I see them you'll be by my side to help me, won't you?"

She nodded and muttered something he could not hear.

"Oh, I should go get my stuff from the hotel. Care to join me, Aigis?" He held out his hand. Aigis had a strange look on her face, but grabbed it regardless. Minato noticed that she was wearing white gloves. 'Gloves in this weather?' He suddenly remembered that she had fired gun shots, when they had first met, from her hands. He was dodging the entire time, so he wasn't sure if he was seeing things or not. There was something off about Aigis…

They got on the train and stood together by the window. No matter how many times he looked outside, he was in awe at the scenery. It was a nice day and that added to it. He wasn't sure if Aigis knew, but she was standing close by him the entire way there. He didn't really feel uncomfortable though, more like he… welcomed it.

* * *

Been awhile eh? Unfortunately, it might be this way for quite awhile. I'll update when I can.

Had a difficult time with this chapter mostly due to the content, but after a couple weeks of looking at the content, I just couldn't change it to something more satisfactory. Hope you guys liked the chapter anyways.

Betaed by RionAgrias!


	30. Chapter 28

"**Shadow/Higher being"**

**Chapter 28**

Souji got home that night after having to deal with some guy who feared cats. Trust the fox to set him up with strange requests. Nanako seemed to have gone to bed already since he didn't hear her usual greeting. His uncle was still up however, turning pages of a binder. He seemed to be muttering angrily to himself as he looked through the pages.

"Oh, hey you're home…" Dojima said, looking to Souji. "Did you hear that? Sorry, I wasn't talking about you, though."

'Well, I didn't hear anything either way…' "Can I help you out with something?" Souji asked. Souji still remembered that disastrous night between him, Dojima, and Nanako, so the least he could do was try and make up for it.

"No… it's okay. Don't worry about it." He seemed appreciative of the gesture, though. "I was trying to find an old newspaper article… it was falling apart so I made a copy, but that copy seems to have gone missing." He let out a sigh. "There's a certain case where we don't have a suspect yet and since the trail is going cold, it's about to get buried under newer cases." He looked back to his papers. "But I can't just give up on this one. Ever…"

Souji wanted to know more, but he knew that this was a serious issue with his Uncle so he left it be for now. Just then, Nanako came into the room with a pained expression on her face.

Dojima's face turned from a serious expression to a concerned one when he saw Nanako. "What's wrong?"

"My stomach hurts…" Nanako said painfully, holding her stomach.

Dojima stood up from the table and ran over to Nanako. Souji did as well. "Was it something you ate?"

"It feels like a sharp pain below my stomach." Nanako continued painfully. Souji steadied her as Dojima looked her over. He seemed to be in a slight panic as he tried to remember if he had any medicine for this situation. Suddenly, a phone call rang out.

"Dammit! Who's calling at this time of night…?" Dojima seemed to be talking with Adachi about some kind of letter. It seemed important since Dojima rushed out the door telling Souji to look for the medicine.

"Uncle Dojima! Is that really more important than your daughter right now?" Souji yelled after his Uncle. "Geez…" Whether he heard or not, it didn't matter since he didn't come back.

"Sit down for little bit, Nanako-chan…" Souji said softly, guiding her to the couch. He ran to the cabinet where he looked for medicine. He administered the medicine to her and soon she was feeling somewhat better. He then sent her off to bed. He went to his own room afterwards and sat down to read, but he soon grew tired of that. He didn't have any game systems on him so he just watched TV for a couple hours waiting for Dojima to return. Souji heard a car pull in and went downstairs to sit until Dojima entered.

Souji was ready to reprimand him a little, despite Dojima being his uncle. Souji could tell that his uncle was in a bad mood as soon as he entered the household. "Souji… you're still up? It's late. Go to sleep." He ordered.

"But you…" Souji started. "Nanako wanted you to help her. If I wasn't here today to help, you probably would've abandoned her to get your letter anyways!"

"Shut up…" Dojima replied angrily. He seemed regret it afterward and let out a sigh. "…Sorry. You're probably right… How's Nanako…?"

"She's alright now and she should be sleeping, but…"

"You've been a great help here." Dojima continued cutting Souji off. Souji felt their bond grow stronger before Dojima sent him off to bed.

* * *

With all the family drama going on Souji had forgotten to study for the exams that were today. The last time he had studied was at the library with Yukiko and that was quite awhile back. He woke up early and crammed what he could into his head and then maybe he'd have a good chance at getting a top ten score. He rushed out the door with his breakfast while bidding Nanako a hasty goodbye. He left the house early and headed directly to school hoping to find somebody who he could study with. Luckily for him, he saw Yukiko entering the school grounds.

"Yukiko!" Souji ran up to her, out of breath.

Yukiko looked slightly startled to see Souji run up to her. "Hm? Souji-kun? What's wrong?"

"Ha… you see… Well, I didn't get to study or something like that and I'm in need of help… So please help me?" Souji pleaded.

"Um… yeah, of course. I'm always willing to help you out should you need it… Souji-kun."

"Thank you! I owe you for this." And so the two of them headed to the library where they also saw a lot of last minute crammers working together to find a means of passing the exam. The two of them somehow found a secluded area that was relatively quiet to study in.

"So, what is there first?" Souji asked, getting a few books out.

"Well I made this study sheet of everything we went over in class. It's not very specific though… I used mainly to remind myself of the subject we should be studying, but nothing specific." Yukiko said, pointing at various subjects on the paper.

"Hey, anything will help. I can't believe I forgot to study… agh!"

"It's okay. It's not like I've always studied for every exam. I forget from time to time as well. Chie and I always used to try and cram-study together whenever that happens." She gave a short laugh. "But you know, I think she really has been trying to study lately. Ever since this new year started she hasn't asked me once to cram together at the last minute. In a way, I feel at a lost about that, but it's great that she's become more independent."

"You two are best friends, and if anything our adventures together have made you two closer."

"Yes, you're right, but that's why you are the leader."

"Geez… I'm not that much of a leader. Yosuke has potential to be a great leader as well. I… just don't understand what you all see in me as a leader to be honest."

"I don't know either. It's just you, I guess. There's something about you…" She turned red slightly though Souji didn't notice.

"You know Chie told me something similar after she had gotten her Persona. I still don't understand what this quality of me is that you all seem drawn to…" Souji gave off a sigh.

"Is something the matter Souji-kun?" Yukiko asked concerned.

"…I feel a lot… angrier lately…" Souji muttered. He didn't mean to mutter it, but he wasn't sure if this was something he wanted to talk about at the moment.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear that."

"Heh, it doesn't matter. We're getting a little off subject here. Let's do what we came to do here in the first place."

The last minute studying continued until the bell rang. Souji felt he learned a bit more then he would have studying alone. The two of them headed to class where Yosuke and Chie were there talking about the exams.

"Yo, where have you two been?" Yosuke asked.

"…Studying." Souji replied simply. "I had forgotten to study so Yukiko helped me out of a jam.

"Oh?" Yosuke smirked. Souji rolled his eyes. Class began a moment later and soon the exams commenced.

* * *

The days following his encounter with Aigis, Ken, and Koromaru were probably some of the best days Minato ever had. He felt… normal to be with friends, go to school, and not having to worry about rescuing people whenever rainy days approached. Because of his character however, he knew that no matter how much he preferred his life now, he had a duty to help his friends back in Inaba in any way he could while he was away. He had gotten an update from Yosuke about the situation. He had learned that Rise had joined the team and that, despite having saved Rise, someone else had died. The investigation team was completely perplexed with this new development and honestly Minato was too. It just didn't make sense. They thought they had figured out the pattern and the commonality between the victims, but this new death had even Minato confused.

Minato had reacquainted himself with Ken and they seem to have gotten along quite well. Chihiro had been a great help at school as he struggled to keep up with school events, activities, and just the work in general. Shimizu-sensei did the same as well. He spent his free time with Aigis, Ken, Koromaru, or all three of them together.

That night the three of them went out for dinner at a nearby restaurant. It was a joyous meal as the three of them continued to reminisce over the past. Minato enjoyed these quite a bit as they helped him learn about himself and what kind of person he was or still is.

As they walked back, there was a sudden change in the atmosphere. Everyone's eyes widened as felt a familiar change in the atmosphere. Everything around them turned dark as the green moon loomed over them ominously.

"This feeling…" Ken murmured.

"…Remember me?" The man ahead sneered. To Minato's horror, it was Shakku. He looked the same as ever except for the fact that he looked like a complete mess. His hair was a bit wild and his clothes were slightly askew. Overall, he had the appearance of a very serious-looking madman.

"What do you want…?" Minato asked, glaring at Shakku.

"Because of you… I went through hell! I lost everything!" He shouted angrily.

"Tch… I didn't do anything. You attacking me first is what caused you to lose everything."

During this entire exchange, Aigis and Ken watched in curiosity until Aigis tugged on Minato's sleeve. "What's going on, Minato-san?"

"This guy is very dangerous. He has powers that seem to stretch beyond that of Persona…" Minato replied. "Damn, I don't have my Evoker or Compendium on me…" Minato muttered to Ken and Aigis.

"Minato-san… take Ken-san and find your things and Koromaru-san as well. I'll stay here to distract him." Aigis said, taking a step forward.

"Aigis…"

"Go… out of all us here at the moment, I am the only one capable of summoning my Persona."

"Be careful Aigis. Let's go Ken." Minato grabbed Ken and dragged him into an alley way.

"Oh hell no!" Shakku began to run after Minato and Ken, holding a knife in his hand with a murderous intent. Aigis stepped in front of him; her hands outstretched. She fired a few shots stopping Shakku in his tracks. "What the hell…? Get out of my way!"

"I will not!"

* * *

Minato and Ken had run part of the ways through the dark alley before Minato suddenly stopped.

"Ken… you do realize that I can't just turn my back on Aigis, right?"

"What?" Ken looked confused.

"I can't just run away while she fights that guy alone. Ken, I want you to continue on, get my things, and bring Koromaru here. I'll go back and help Aigis in any way possible."

"But you said he had a Persona. How're you supposed to fight him?"

Minato smirked a little. "A Persona is nothing without its partner. They must exist together to bring forth true potential. Aigis can handle the Persona. I'll take out Shakku. Ken, I need you to go and get our stuff just to be safe. He commands power that I still do not understand and I want to take every precaution if possible."

"…" Ken didn't really know what to say. "How are you going to fight him then?"

Minato took a quick look around the area. He picked up a trashcan lid and tested its feel. "Ah this should do fine."

"Are you serious? It's not even a proper weapon."

"Hey, anything can be a good weapon if you have no other choice. I remember when my other friends had to use wrenches and a golf club to fend off the Shadows… ah, good times… but I digress. It'll be fine Ken. I'm counting on you to get our stuff alright? I'll see you later then." And with that, Minato ran back in the direction towards Aigis.

* * *

Minato entered the scene carrying a trash lid to see Taranis and Athena clashing weapons. From the current situation it seemed like Athena had the upper hand and was pushing Taranis back. Shakku was gritting his teeth as he waved his knife in anger.

Something about Taranis was different. It was his appearance mostly. The mask on his face and the wheel he held were cracked, his robes were tattered and his sword had a rusted look about it. The most notable thing was that Taranis had many unnatural… wounds. They looked like wounds, but at the same time; they just looked like randomly placed openings on his body. Whatever the case, Minato doubted that Aigis was the cause of Taranis' state of being.

"Minato-san! What are you doing here? You were supposed to go back to the dorm with Ken-san." Aigis shouted, looking slightly panicked.

"Sorry, but no matter how I was before, the me now says I shouldn't abandon my friend to fight alone."

"Aw… so the brat comes back to be a hero. Well you can di-OW!" Minato smacked Shakku on the head with a trash lid. "What the hell? Did you just smack me with a trash lid?"

"Yeah…"

…

…

…

"Fine whatever…" Shakku stabbed at Minato with his knife which he blocked with the lid. Minato moved back to put some distance between himself and Shakku. Taranis appeared behind Minato with his sword held high and stabbed downwards.

Minato couldn't move, but he didn't have to. He was pushed to the side and he watched as the sword was plunged straight through Aigis. She lay there unmoving.

"No…"

* * *

Oh man! Another late chapter… Sorry about that, but it happens.

Betaed by RionAgrias! As always, thanks!


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